Unexpected Surprise Series
by Writing Sux
Summary: A set of stories that are all set in the same universe. It's post Pan's curse but that's not really significant just a good timeline reference. All stories will be here so you don't have to go looking for a particular story. Enjoi
1. Unexpected Surprise I

**Disclaimer: Don't own the characters. They belong to their respective creators and studios.**

* * *

Henry climbed up the stairs that lead to the front door of the house that he had grown up in. It was winter break of his first year of college and he was going to be home for a few weeks for the holidays then he'd go back to New York. When had first left for college he had been worried about his moms but they had assured him that they would be fine. Emma told him that work was getting busy because after Pan's Curse, Storybrooke had somewhat normalised and was becoming a tourist attraction but explaining the unusual magical phenomena that occurred in the town had become an art that his mother was getting used to. And his mom told him that running the town would keep her busy enough. Henry believed them because whenever he called either of them they were either too busy to pick up or if they did pick up they'd get ten minutes into the conversation before they would have to go. Eventually Emma or his mom would call him back later to apologise. Henry smiled to himself as he pulled out his key. He was certain Emma was keeping mom busy and annoying the hell out of her. The two of them seemed to have grown closer over the years and Henry was glad that they were forming a deep friendship. Sometimes he would call and the two of them would be at lunch together. At first it had been surprising but now he found it reassuring and it allowed him to enjoy his college experience more now that he knew his mom wasn't at home suffering from empty-nest syndrome.

Henry pushed open the door and called out, "Mom!" He dropped his book bag and duffle bag in the foyer and when his mom didn't answer him he headed for her study. His mom should have been home because she knew that he was going to be coming home. He had insisted on taking a cab home and had declined Emma's offer to pick him up because he was eighteen now, was going to be nineteen in a few months, so he didn't need his moms picking him up like he was kindergartner. Henry headed to the kitchen and he saw the pie cooling in the middle of the island. He walked over and held his hand over it. It was still warm so his mom had to have been home. Thinking she was upstairs doing something, probably making sure his room was just as he left it, he headed for the stairs. When he reached the second floor he rushed into his room hoping to find his mother there but she wasn't. Henry's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion as he wondered where the hell his mother could be. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and just as he was about to call Emma he heard a noise come from his mom's room. Relieved that she was home and was okay, Henry headed for her room. The door was closed so he gave it a quick rap and began to open it as he said with an excited smile on his face, "Hey Mom I'm-" He stopped as he gawked at the sight in front of him. Then his brain realised what he was seeing and he exclaimed, "Shit. Sorry." Henry bolted out of the room, closing the door behind him, as his mother called out to him.

He ran downstairs and completely flabbergasted he ran to the kitchen. Henry got a glass of water and drank half of it down then he squeezed his eyes shut. He needed to get that image out of his mind. He began to think of poems he had read in class. Screenplays that he was studying. Anything that would rid him of the image of what he had just seen in his mother's room. "Henry! Henry where are you?" He heard his mom call out.

Henry took a deep breath though that didn't help the fact that his face was on fire with embarrassment. He then replied, "I'm in the kitchen mom." His mom rushed into the kitchen wearing her black robe which was shut tight but he groaned. "Mom couldn't you have put clothes on? I've been traumatised enough today."

His mom ran her hand over her hair. She looked flustered and embarrassed which were two things Regina Mills never was. At least not in the presence of others. "I wasn't expecting you to be home so soon. You weren't supposed to be home for another hour and a half."

Henry didn't want to have this conversation no especially not after what he had just seen. He let out an exasperated breath and rolled his eyes. As he looked up at the ceiling he explained why he was home early, "My flight got into Portland early. If you were paying attention to your phone you would have seen the message I sent you."

His mom looked completely out of her element and he wasn't going to make the situation worse for either of them but then sound of bare feet walking back to the kitchen told them they weren't quite done with embarrassment yet. "Henry I am so sorry you-we-I thought you were going to be home at two." Emma said looking just as flustered as his mom but she had at least put clothes on. Although her t-shirt was hang off her left shoulder because she had put it on in such a rush.

Henry wasn't ready to have this conversation with either of his mothers yet because the image of them having sex was still burned into his brain. He held up his hand and said, "I-I-" He shook his and said, "I'm going to go say hi to my grandparents. I'll be back later." Henry rushed out of the kitchen and headed right for the front door. The walk to his grandparents would clear his mind and hopefully get rid of the image of his moms-Henry shuddered then pulled out his headphones and put them in. He took out his phone and put on the latest album from his favourite band. Henry was determined to forget everything he had just seen.

* * *

Regina looked at the entryway of the kitchen completely mortified. She couldn't believe that had happened. Henry had walked in on her and Emma having-She covered her face and groaned. This was not how she wanted him to find out about them. They were supposed to have a nice family dinner and they were going to bring it up then see if he was okay with it. But no because a stupid airline was ahead of schedule, for once, her son had walked in on her calling out Emma's name to the heavens. That wasn't how he was supposed to find out about them on top of a number of other things. Regina groaned into her hands, "Oh my god…."

She felt an arm wrap around her shoulders then a kiss was placed on her temple before Emma said, "Well at least now he knows."

Regina uncovered her face and glared at Emma, "If that's the only thing that you have to say about this situation then you clearly don't have an understanding of what just happened."

Emma gave her a serious look, "I do understand Regina. He walked in on us having sex. It happens with kids. Granted our eighteen year old son probably now needs therapy but it happens."

Regina turned so she could rest her head on Emma's shoulder. Then as she buried her face in her neck she said, "I can't believe that just happened. We haven't even told him. He's probably going to think we were hiding this from him."

Emma stepped back then she took hold of Regina's face. With a calm, determined look in her eyes and a reassuring smile on her face she said, "He probably will and we will answer all the questions that he has but for now Madame Mayor-" She gave her a lingering kissed then pulled back and murmured, "Our son is out of the house and I don't think you achieved that second orgasm I promised."

"Emma…" Regina said as she tried to resist the other woman's seduction techniques.

Emma moved her hands and she began to kiss across her jaw while her hands moved to grab her ass through the silk robe that she was wearing. "Regina…"

Regina tilted her head back as Emma pressed her lips on her pulse point before she nipped at the skin. In a final, vain attempt to steer their conversation back to the traumatic way their son had found out about their relationship Regina whispered, "What if he comes back?"

Emma let out a low chuckle as she began to undo the sash of Regina's robe. "Then he'll think twice before he barges into your room." She slipped her hand under the silk fabric then slid her hand up Regina's side and when it reached the underside of her left breast she cupped it. As Emma rolled her hardened nipple between her thumb and forefinger she looked at Regina who had her eyes closed as she bit her bottom lip in response to the erotic sensations that started to course through her. The other woman's eyes opened and Emma smirked, "Shall we finish what started?"

Regina brought her head close to Emma's and before she captured her lips for a searing kiss she breathed, "Absolutely." Their lips met for a heated, passionate kiss just as a cloud of purple smoke engulfed them to transport them into Regina's room.

* * *

Henry got home two hours later and as soon as he walked in he smelled his mother's cooking. She was making sauce which meant she was going to make lasagne and he couldn't be upset about the events that had happened when he had gotten home earlier. Deciding he wouldn't be able to avoid his mothers he walked back to the kitchen. Ducking his head he walked into the kitchen and muttered, "Hey."

He glanced up to see his mom walk over to him and she gave him a kiss on the cheek then said, "Hello dear. How are your grandparents and your uncle and aunt?"

Henry walked over to the barstool that was in front of the island and he sat on the edge of it as he answered, "They're fine. James has gotten taller since I left and Kayleigh definitely is going to be a troublemaker once she gets into first grade next year."

Emma chuckled and remarked, "God help us when she does. That kid's a terror waiting to break free."

Henry looked between his moms. They weren't going to bring up what had happened. In fact they were acting like nothing had happened at all. Emma was cutting broccoli while his mom was stirring the sauce that was going to be used to make the lasagne. Then he really began to watch them. There were innocent glances. More so from Emma and when his mom caught her a shy smile would show up on her face. At one point his mom had walked over to show Emma how to cut the broccoli into smaller chunks and she had let her hand rest on her lower back. When Emma had finally mastered it his mom had kissed her cheek before heading back to the pot that was on the stove. Henry didn't think that she had even meant to do it. He watched them a little longer and it was moments later that he realised that he was smiling. He never realised it before but his moms made a good couple. Emma had a brief relationship with Hook before he went back to sailing across realms. His mom had dated someone briefly but that ended quickly when the man had an issue with Emma's involvement in her life. Henry had been proud of her when she stood up to the guy and told him that Emma was a part of their family and if he had a problem with it then he could leave.

Henry got a contemplative look on his face. That's probably when things had shifted for them. Somehow between having family dinners and taking care of him his moms had managed to develop what he had thought had been a friendship. And maybe at the time his teenaged brain had been too self-involved to see what was actually happening but now, after having it shoved in his face, it was glaringly obvious that his moms were in love.

"How'd it happen?"

Emma looked up at him and asked, "What kid?"

Henry pointed at her then at his mom, "You two. How'd it happen?"

His mom looked at Emma and the small smile that was on her face grew into a bigger one. "Sunday dinner."

Henry chuckled and asked, "Wait….you two still have Sunday dinner together?"

Emma shrugged and stated, "Yeah. I still work the same shift at the station and we had gotten so used to doing it so why break routine, y'know?"

Henry grinned and nodded his head. "So what happened? You two get drunk and have wild sex on the dinner table?"

"Henry Daniel Mills."

Realising he had crossed a line Henry looked down at the tile of the kitchen floor and muttered, "Sorry mom."

He heard Emma chuckle then he heard his mom sigh before she said, "And if you must know Emma was a complete gentlewoman and she surprised me one Sunday. Instead of having dinner here we went to that new restaurant that opened up and she told me how she felt then I told her how I felt. It was actually very romantic."

Emma was focused on cutting the broccoli but Henry could tell that she was trying hide the fact that she was blushing. He chuckled at her then looked at his mom and asked, "And everything happened that night?"

Emma let out an exasperated breath and put down the knife as she said, "Leave it to our kid to be a weirdo. We're not going to tell you everything just know that it has taken some time for us to get to this point." She pointed at Henry, "Now leave it alone and go set the table."

Henry still had a big, dopy smile on his face. He got off the stool and he walked over to Emma to give her kiss on the cheek then he said, "I love you Ma and I'm happy for you and mom."

Then he went over to Regina and kissed her cheek before saying in a low voice, "See you do get to have a happy ever after." His mom looked up at him with tears in her eyes. She reached out and placed her hand on his cheek. Henry covered her hand with his for a moment then he moved away from her. He started to walk out of the kitchen and when he reached the archway of the kitchen he asked, "So does that mean there will be a wedding in the future?" Emma stared at him while his mom gave him a pointed look. He got a cheeky grin on his face, "It was worth a shot but do know I want to be ring bearer. James can't take that from me."

Henry saw a mischievous glint come to his mom's eyes then she said, "You can be Emma's best man."

Emma spun around and exclaimed, "Regina!"

His mom laughed then walked over to his other mother so she could calm her down and prevent her from having a panic attack. Henry walked out of the kitchen so the two of them could have a private moment but as he walked into the dining room he made a bet with himself that by the end of winter break they would be announcing their engagement. Henry got the cutlery out the drawer of the cabinet that held the fancy dishes and he said under his breath, "Best man gets to make a speech. I wouldn't mind doing that." As he went about setting the table he thought about his best man speech and what he would say.


	2. Operation: Ho! Ho! Ho!

**Disclaimer: Don't own the characters. They belong to their respective creators and studios.**

* * *

Emma poked Henry's shoulder and whispered, "Psst kid. Hey wake up."

The teenager rolled onto his other side and pulled the blanket over his head as he muttered something about it not being time for class. Emma chuckled to herself. It was nice to have Henry home but if he hadn't of left then she and Regina probably would have never addressed their feelings. They would have believed that their feelings were due to the fact that they were two people taking care of a kid together instead of two people who were actually in love with each other. Emma had finally gotten the nerve to tell Regina her feelings one month after Henry had left for school.

It had been their third Sunday dinner without him and they had just cleared the table. The two of them were in the kitchen talking about something mundane that had occurred in town that day and it hit Emma, like a ton of bricks, that this was her home. More specifically Regina was her home. But then she realised that Regina was more than home. She was the one that she wanted to see after a long day of dealing with freaked out tourists. It was Regina's smile that made her feel like everything was right with the world. It was Regina's love and presence in her life that helped her figure out her place in the world. So after that night of epic realisations she tried to come up with the best way to tell Regina that she was, in fact, in love with her. Emma had thought of a number of ideas but Sunday dinner seemed liked the best time, even though they had dinner other days of the week, because Sunday was their day. However she had gone one step further and taken Regina to that new Italian restaurant that had opened up. Emma smiled as the memory came back to her.

 **xXxXxX**

 _Emma was nervous as she drove the bug to the Italian restaurant that had opened up a few weeks ago. She wasn't nervous because she was trying a new restaurant. She was nervous because tonight was the night that she was going to tell Regina that she loved her. She had been planning it since their dinner last Sunday and she had almost gone to Mary Margret for help but she hadn't because she was determined to do this on her own. Emma chewed on her bottom lip as she focused on the rood. It wasn't until they were driving past Granny's did Regina start to wonder where they were going. "Okay so I see that we're not going to Granny's tonight, so I won't be offended that you told me not to cook, but where are we going?"_

 _Emma chuckled then said, "You'll see. And you know you would like a nice cheeseburger from Granny's."_

 _She glanced over just in time to see the other woman roll her eyes in exasperation before she remarked, "And I'll enjoy the angioplasty that I would immediately need after consuming such food." Regina looked at her and smiled. "I still can't believe you eat there. I think I'm going to start making you lunch. That way Henry won't lose his mother to a heart attack at a young age."_

 _Emma laughed then stated, "If that's what you want to go with Regina but I know you." She saw the woman look at her out the corner of her eye and she smirked. "I know you miss having someone to take care of. With Henry out of the house you don't have to worry about anyone except yourself."_

 _There was a heavy silence that weighed down on them and Emma began to mentally berate herself for steering their conversation to such a loaded topic. She heard Regina take a deep breath then she exhaled before she said, "It's true but with you always barging in at every opportunity it's like I have another child running around the house."_

 _Emma chuckled then scoffed, "I don't barge in and I'm not a child." She smiled before adding, "Henry told me to keep an eye out for you and I'm doing what my son asked of me."_

" _Of course you are dear."_

 _Emma shook her head as the smile on her face widened. At first she had been telling herself that she was looking out for Regina because Henry had asked her to but after a few days she realised that she was doing it purely for selfish reasons. Emma checked on Regina three times during the day: when the woman got into work, after lunch, and dinner; by the fourth day Regina had gotten fed up with her intruding on her dinner so she had invited her over. It wasn't long before the two of them had fallen into a routine that Emma wasn't aware of until the other day. She parked next to the curb that was across the street from the newest eatery in Storybrooke. She looked at Regina and asked, "What do you think about giving them a go? Granted they'll probably have nothing on your lasagne but David and Mary Margret came here the other night and Mary Margret wouldn't stop raving about the shrimp scampi."_

 _She watched as Regina eyed the establishment with a wary gaze and Emma couldn't prevent the smile that broke out on her face. Regina was untrusting to a fault but once you had garnered her trust she cared deeply for you. The woman looked at her and asked in a slightly irritated tone, "What?"_

 _Emma shook her head and said, "Nothing. So are we having dinner here or are you determined to get that cheeseburger with a side of a medical procedure?"_

 _Regina shot her an annoyed look and Emma only laughed at it. That should have been her first clue that she had feelings for Regina. The woman's ire towards her didn't have any malicious fire behind it anymore and now she found it endearing. Sometimes she would tease her just to get an irritated look out of her or just to get her to scowl. It was a cute scowl. Emma was brought back to the moment when she heard the passenger door open. She scrambled to get the key out of the ignition then she jumped out of the car and ran around to the other side so she could help Regina out of it. When she held out her hand for her to take Regina looked at with a perplexed look on her face then she looked up at Emma. "What are you doing? I'm capable of getting out of this death trap on my own."_

 _Emma rolled her eyes and said, "You're a former queen. I thought I would help you relieve your glory days by being your butler."_

" _You mean footman." Regina corrected as she took hold of Emma's hand. "And what are you up to Emma? This is the second peculiar thing you've done tonight and I'm starting worry if you're under a spell or something."_

 _Emma closed the passenger door as she smiled at Regina. "No spell. Just thought I'd be nice. I can stop if you want."_

 _She noticed the brief look of uncertainty that crossed over Regina's face but it disappeared quickly and she said, "If you must."_

 _Emma got a cheeky grin on her face, "Oh I must and to make you feel even more ridiculous-" She offered Regina her arm and said, "M'lady?"_

 _Regina shook her head then smiled at her as she took her arm. "Now you're being ridiculous."_

 _Emma did her best not to acknowledge the permanent grin that was now on Regina's face but she did lean closer to her and whispered, "Oh you haven't seen ridiculous yet your majesty."_

 _As she stood up straight Emma pretended not to notice the way Regina had tensed up as she whispered or the way she held on tighter to her arm. The two of them went in the restaurant and the hostess smiled at them. "Sheriff Swan and Mayor Mills. It's a pleasure to have you both dining with us tonight." The young woman looked at Emma and said, "We have everything setup as you requested Emma. A table in the private room with all the extras you listed."_

" _What extras is she talking about?" Regina asked as they were shown back to the private room that was reserved for larger parties._

 _Emma stayed tight lipped as they walked through the restaurant and when they reached the door for the private room the hostess opened it for them. As they walked through it she heard Regina gasp before she said, "Oh Emma."_

 _Emma had had the room setup with flowers and soft candle light along with a bottle of the best wine chilling for them. The price of it all didn't matter to her because the look on Regina's face told her that it had been well spent. She winked at the hostess to let her know that they were all set for the moment and when they were alone Emma slipped her arm out of Regina's grasp. "Would you like me to take your jacket?"_

 _Regina nodded and she helped her out of the light jacket that she was wearing. After hanging it on the back of her chair Emma pulled it out so Regina could sit down. Once they were both seated Regina asked, "Emma what is this? This is more than just Sunday dinner."_

 _Emma fiddled with the napkin that her silverware was resting on. She had practiced throughout the day what she was going to say but now that the moment had arrived she had no idea what to say. She took a deep breath then decided that she would speak from the heart. "We didn't have a good start. In fact I'm pretty certain you were two steps away from murdering me but you didn't then the curse broke. After that life was just a whirlwind of events that honestly I feel like I've aged more than just eight years."_

 _She chuckled. "But if it hadn't been for those events I would have never have seen the parts of you that you keep so well hidden. Aspects of yourself that you've only begun to show others over the last few years. I also wouldn't have gotten to know you as well as I have." Emma took a deep breath and pushed through, "What I'm trying to say Regina is that over the last few years my feelings for you have changed but I've only just realised them because Henry isn't here. Before I wrote them off because we were taking care of him and that makes you come to care about the other person that's raising your son with you. But this last month without Henry being around I've realised that these feelings are more than that. There's more to them because you are a wonderful person who I have come to fall in love with and that's why I brought you here tonight. To tell you that I am in love with you."_

 _Regina sat there with tears shining in her eyes and the expression on her face was one that Emma was having a hard time deciphering. She couldn't tell if her admission of love was well received or if she had ruined the best setup she ever had. She watched as Regina moved her silverware off the napkin then she picked it up so she could dab at her eyes. When she had wiped away the few tears that had fallen she asked in a soft voice, "Is this a date?"_

 _That wasn't the question Emma had been expecting and she chuckled. She let out a breath then said, "It is Sunday dinner in a new location."_

 _Regina laughed a little. "I see." She took a deep breath and looked into Emma's eyes. The two of them held each other's gaze then she said, "I love you too Emma." Emma let out the breath that she had been unconsciously holding in and she was about to say something but Regina had more to say. "I love you." She smiled then continued, "And though I love you, I'm not ready to jump in a relationship with you."_

 _Emma hadn't thought that far ahead. She had thought of just telling Regina her feelings then being laughed at afterwards but nothing beyond that. She picked up her glass of water then took a drink from it to moisten her throat which had become dry all of a sudden. She set it down then cleared her throat before she said, "I didn't think we would jump into a relationship. I just wanted to let you know how I feel."_

 _Regina chuckled then said, "Of course you didn't." She set her elbow on the table then rested her chin on her hand. The mischievous look in her eyes had Emma thinking about the number of inappropriate things that they could be doing right now. Regina smiled and said, "How about this, we date. An old-fashioned courtship if you will."_

 _Emma's mind flashed to a number of old television shows that she had watched when she heard word courtship. That didn't sound appealing. Courting usually meant dates supervised by a parent or both. She frowned, "My parents aren't going to be supervising us will they?"_

 _Regina got a confused look on her face. "What?"_

" _When I hear courtship I think of those old TV shows with the two teenagers being all awkward and they're sitting in the living room while the parents are supervising making sure that they don't do anything that would add to the human population." Emma said hoping that would clarify her question._

 _Regina nodded in understanding then pointed out, "Dear I don't think we have to worry about adding to the human population." Emma's eyebrows went up as she realised what the other woman was insinuating. Regina then asked her, "Do your parents need to chaperone us when we are together? I hope you don't think so because I am particularly fond of the time that we spend together and I would hate to have that ruined by your parents."_

 _Emma was quick to answer that question. She shook her head and said, "No, no. Nope. We don't need them to be there. I was just saying that's what I think of." She looked at Regina and a small smile came to her face. "So dating huh?"_

" _Do you object?"_

 _Emma's smile widened and she said, "No. No I don't." She took hold of Regina's hand. "I would consider it an honour to court you."_

 _The gaze they shared said more than words would ever say. Regina pulled back her hand then got comfortable in her chair and said, "Well then let us continue with our first date."_

 _Emma smiled as the other woman picked up the menu that was lying on the table. She couldn't believe that she had told Regina. She couldn't believe that Regina had said it back. But the other woman had been right about one thing. They needed to date to test out this new dynamic in their relationship. Emma got lost in her thoughts and she was brought back to her surroundings when she heard, "Miss Swan if you plan on eating tonight I suggest looking at the menu and not at me."_

 _Emma smirked and as she picked up her menu she remarked, "Well if we weren't set on doing this dating thing me looking at you would be quite appropriate because what I want to eat isn't on the menu."_

 _The look that Regina got on her face was one that Emma hadn't seen before. And if they hadn't agreed to take things slow or been in a public she would have said to hell with everything and would have taken Regina right then and there. The expression on Regina's face had turned her on and Emma had to take several deep breaths to suppress her arousal. She gave the woman sitting across from her a pointed look, "Not fair Regina."_

 _Regina looked down at her menu and said, "I'm not certain I know what you're talking about Emma." She let out a low hum. "I think I will try the shrimp scampi. What do you think dear?"_

 _The nonchalant look on her face made Emma smile and she said, "I think I will have the same."_

 **xXxXxX**

That night had been the beginning of them dating each other and though they didn't move onto the physical aspect of their relationship until almost two months ago they would torture each other relentlessly. Emma heard Henry groan and he grumbled, "Ma what are you doing in here?"

She sat on the edge of his bed then said, "Come on get up. We're going for a ride."

Henry covered his eyes with his forearm and Emma smiled at him. He had gotten so use to waking up late in the day that waking up at eight in the morning was a bit too much for him. Henry dropped his arm and sighed. "Where are we going?"

"Portland. Your mom's Christmas present came in early yesterday and I want to go get it." Emma told him.

Henry sat up in his bed and as he rubbed at his eyes he asked, "Why is her gift here so early? Christmas isn't until after next week."

Emma stood up and said, "I know but I ordered it early so you could see it and give me your input. That way if I need to fix it or anything it will be done in time."

Henry groaned before he asked, "Is there coffee made?"

"Nope. There's no time. We've got to hit the road. I want to be back before your mom gets home for lunch." She pulled the blanket off of him then said, "Now get your ass up. We've got a new mission to accomplish."

Upon hearing the word mission Henry smiled at her. "We haven't had a mission in awhile."

Emma chuckled and said, "I know. So pick out a codename for it while you shower and I'm certain I can work something out for you in regards to coffee."

Henry nodded and said, "Deal."

Emma walked out of his room and she couldn't get rid of the smile that was on her face. She couldn't wait for Henry to see the present that she had gotten Regina. Hopefully he would think that she had done a good job because she had spent weeks making sure it was perfect. She went down to the first floor then headed into the kitchen. After she put on a pot of coffee to brew she called Regina's office. The line rang a few times then it was answered, "Mayor Mills."

"Hey sweetie. How's your morning going?" Emma asked as she watched the dark liquid drain into the glass pot.

Regina groaned and said, "So far it has been irritating although if it doesn't turn around I know of some dwarves that will be seeing a side of me that they thought was long gone."

Emma chuckled and said, "Don't make promises you can't keep. How about Henry and I take you out to lunch when we get back into town?"

"And where are you two going?"

Emma didn't like to lie to Regina but in this case she was going to make an exception because the benefit would be larger than the repercussions. "He said he has some more gifts to pick up and the only store that has what he's looking for is in Portland so I thought I'd take him. Go on a mission for old time's sake."

Regina chuckled in her ear then remarked, "You two and your missions. Why don't you swing by and come get me? The three of us can make a day of it. There isn't anything pressing for me to deal with at the moment."

Emma hadn't been expecting this considering Regina had been butting heads with her mother and Blue over the Christmas extravaganza that was supposed to occur this weekend. The coffee finished brewing and she walked over to one of the cabinets to get a travel mug. After walking back over to the coffee maker she poured the steaming liquid into the cup and asked, "Aren't you still doing last minute planning for the extravaganza? I thought there was a big argument over getting a snow machine since we don't have snow yet. And what about your Santa auditions?"

Regina sighed then said, "I'll let your mother and Blue beat each other up over it. Belle is on the committee so she can be the sensible voice of reason for today." Emma could hear the smile in her voice as she stated, "I'd rather spend the day with my two favourite people."

Emma was a sucker for when Regina was being adorable. She took a deep breath then said, "We'll pick you up in a few minutes. I'm waiting for Henry to get out of the shower."

After hearing this Regina sounded a lot happier and it caused Emma to get a smile on her face. "Okay. Call me when you get here."

"I will."

"I love you."

Emma's heart sped up and she said, "I love you too. I'll see you in a few." As she was hanging up she heard Henry's heavy steps in the foyer then he walked into the kitchen. She gave him his to-go cup of coffee and said, "We're going to Portland for you and your mom is coming with us."

Henry took a long drink from his cup and Emma cringed at the fact that he was able to drink the stuff black. He got a confused look on his face, "If we're going to go get mom's gift then why would we bring her with us?"

"Because I'm an idiot in love." Emma mumbled under her breath before she said in a louder voice, "Because your mom wants us to spend as much time together before you head back to school in January."

He took another sip of his coffee then scoffed, "Sure that's what it is." He grinned. "This has nothing to do with the fact that you're whipped or anything."

Emma scowled at him and pointed out the kitchen, "Go. Your mother is waiting for us." As she gave him a gentle shove towards the kitchen entryway she said, "Come up with something that we can use as a cover."

Henry managed to snag an apple out of the bowl that was sitting on the counter and he took a bit out of it then asked around it, "I meant to ask, what did you get her?"

Emma smiled and told him, "You'll see when we get to Portland."

The two of them left so they could go pick Regina up. Emma was excited about the gift that she had gotten her but at the same time she hoped that she would be able to keep it hidden for the next two weeks.

 **xXxXxX**

Henry was stretched out in the passenger seat of the bug and he groaned, "When we get to city hall we're switching cars. It's too cramped in here."

Emma glanced at him and said, "You should probably stop growing kid but okay."

They got to city hall and after Emma parked he began to get out of the car. "Slow down I'm going to give her a call."

Henry rolled his eyes and got out of the car as he asked, "So you're going to let the woman you love walk down by herself?" He shook his head then he got a smartass smirk on his face, "I don't know if you're good enough for my mom, Emma."

Emma got out the car and as she closed the door she warned, "You better run you little shit."

Henry laughed and ran inside the municipal building. He liked to mess with Emma because she wasn't too motherly and treated him like an adult but he also knew that there was a line that he shouldn't cross with her. Henry got to the second floor of the building and he waved to his mom's receptionist then walked into her office. Her head snapped up at the sound of the door opening and he beamed a smile at her. "Hey mom. Ready to go to Portland?"

His mom returned his smile as she closed the file that she had been looking at, "Yes. Just let me lock up a few things and tell Janis that I'll be leaving for the rest of the day." She looked behind him then back at him. "Where's Emma?"

"She's-"

"Unlike other people I like to take my time going up the stairs." Emma said as she walked into the office. Henry grinned when he saw the loving smile that came to his mom's face as she watched Emma walk over to her. He looked around the office to find something to stare at while he waited for them to have their moment. Henry thought it would be an adjustment for him to get over the fact that his moms were involved with each other but there hadn't been one. Everything seemed as normal as it always had been. However they did try to make it seem like that Emma hadn't moved into the house but they had failed at hiding that when Henry caught her leaving his mom's room one morning. After that he called them out on it and told his moms that he was fine with her moving in. In fact it was a great idea because he wouldn't have to go far to see Emma. So he helped Emma bring over the rest of her stuff before Thanksgiving. It had been one of the best Thanksgiving dinners that he had ever had. The three of them had always been a family unit but now it seemed more solid.

Henry couldn't find anything to look at so he let out a loud, heavy breath then he heard his mother chuckle. "I'm sorry dear."

He looked at her and smiled. "It's okay mom. Just if we don't get going traffic will probably be terrible."

His mom rested her head on Emma's shoulder and Emma wrapped her arm around her waist. He chuckled to himself. They were so in love with each other and it was almost sickening. His mom lifted her head and asked, "Oh what is it that you need in Portland? I thought you had finished your shopping."

Emma gave him a pointed look and Henry went along with their cover, "I thought I had picked something up for Kayleigh but then I realised I didn't so I wanted to go to the mall out there to grab something. Maybe you could help me because I'm not sure what her favourites are these days."

He watched as his mom locked up her desk and he noticed that Emma had gone to get her coat. How they acted when they were around each seemed so natural and he smiled as Emma helped his mom with her coat. It was as if they had been doing this all their lives and as if they had never had a turbulent past. Henry walked over to them then wrapped his arms around them and said, "I love you guys and I'm really happy for you. I'm glad this happened."

His mom chuckled and gave his back a pat. "I'm glad you approve Henry and we love you too."

"That we do and thanks kid."

Henry moved and as soon as his mom was ready to go the three of them left the building then got in the Mercedes. The fact that Emma was behind the wheel of his mother's beloved car was testament of the fact that she was in love with her. As Emma started the car Henry put on his seat and exclaimed, "All right let's get operation: 'Ho! Ho! Ho!' underway."

His mom looked back at him and asked, "That's the best you could come up with? We're paying for you to get a fine college education and that's the best you could do?"

Emma shook her head as she put the car in gear. As they pulled out of the parking spot she took Regina's hand and told her, "He just wants to say ho and get away with it around you."

She got a disapproving look on her face then she glared at Emma. "I blame you for this. He wouldn't have such a filthy vocabulary if you didn't allow him to swear."

Emma let out a short laugh and said, "Oh you do not want to go there Regina. I have heard you use some colourful words around him too."

His mom continued to glare at Emma for another second then she got comfortable in her seat and looked out the window. Henry chuckled then pulled out his phone to play one of the numerous games that was on it. It was five minutes later when his mom moved closer to then centre console then rested her head on Emma's shoulder. The other woman kissed the top of her head and Henry just smiled. The two of them were sickening.

 **xXxXxX**

They were in the mall walking around and they had picked up several toys for Kayleigh and James although Emma argued that her younger brother and sister didn't need any more toys so Regina bought them several books on top of that. It was after they had eaten lunch did Emma realise that she needed a reason to get rid of Regina so her and Henry could go get her present. Emma pulled out her phone and sent Henry a text. _"Need to come up with a reason to get rid of your mom."_

"Henry did you need anything for your dorm room? I mean since we're here we might as well get you prepared for the next semester." Regina said as they passed by Ikea.

Henry had just put away his phone when he remarked, "You know what mom I think you're right. I do need some things but I really don't need anything here. I think I saw a Target on the other side of the mall."

Emma loved the fact that her son was a quick thinker. The kid was awesome and she didn't regret her decision to get him a new laptop for Christmas. They had gotten him a new tablet before he had left for school but since he was hoping to become a screenwriter she decided that he needed a new laptop with an awesome screenwriting software on it. She was brought back to the conversation when she heard Regina say, "Oh well we can walk over to it. I don't think it's that-"

"Crap." Emma said as she snapped her fingers. "I need to pick something up for my mom and dad."

Regina stopped walking and Emma turned to look at her. She saw that she had an annoyed look on her face and that her hands were on her hips. She was about to get into trouble but the small lie would be well worth it. "Emma Swan. I told you weeks ago to get something for your parents." She let out a breath then asked, "Didn't you pick something up when we went to Boston that one weekend?"

Emma nodded her head, "Yeah. Yeah I did but I think I need something a little bit more personal other than a leather jacket and a gift card don't you think?"

Regina rolled her eyes then waved her hand in the air as she said, "I guess." She looked at Henry, "We'll go to Target while your mother tries to find your grandparents another present."

"Actually I think I want to go with Ma. You know how horrible she is at picking out gifts for people." Henry said as moved closer to Emma.

Regina threw up her hand in exasperation. "Okay why don't we all go to pick your parents out another gift then we can go to Target."

"No." Emma said a little too fast and Regina got a suspicious look on her face. "Just go to Target babe. We'll meet you there in like a half hour."

Regina got a sceptical look on her and she looked at her then at Henry before she crossed her arms. "What are you two planning?"

"Planning? Mom we're not planning anything. I just want to go with Ma instead of going to Target." Henry explained but Emma knew that wasn't going to get Regina off their backs.

Regina narrowed her eyes at Emma then she did her signature eyebrow raise. Emma was determined to not let it get to her but she caved a little. "Okay you win." She sighed as a smug grin came to Regina's face. Emma ran her hand over hair then said, "I have to get another one of your presents. This is why we came to Portland. The reason for operation: Ho! Ho! Ho!" Henry snickered and both his mothers rolled their eyes. Their son was too much sometimes.

Regina smiled and said, "Okay then. I will see you both at Target in a half hour."

Emma got a confused look on her face. Regina was backing down. She wasn't going to ask a million questions or grill her about what she had gotten her. Emma folded her arms across her chest and said, "Wait a minute. What are you planning?"

Regina just smiled at her then she walked over to them. She gave Henry a kiss on the cheek then she gave Emma a kiss on the lips. As she pulled back she grinned. "I'll meet you both at Target in a half hour. I love you."

Emma held Regina's gaze and her love for the woman prevented her from questioning Regina further. She sighed then gave her a quick kiss before she whispered, "I love you too and we'll see you in a half hour."

Regina walked away from them and began her trek to Target. Emma and Henry stood there confused by her reaction. "What do you think she's planning?"

Emma sighed and she placed a hand on his shoulder as she said, "I have no idea but let's hope it doesn't bite us in the ass."

Henry laughed then said, "I'm her son she can't do anything bad to me. You though…you're her girlfriend so whatever you got her better make her forget this moment."

Emma turned her head and scowled at the teenager walking next to her. "How are you even my kid? No solidarity."

Henry scoffed then commented, "There is no such thing as solidarity when you're dealing with a former Evil Queen."

Emma shook her head then scolded, "Don't call her that."

"I said former."

Emma gave him a pointed look. "I know you did but that's not who she is anymore and she has worked hard to get people not to see her like that. So don't call her that."

A remorseful look came to Henry's face and he said, "Sorry ma."

Emma nudged his shoulder with hers and smiled. "It's okay Henry. I know you were making a joke. Albeit a terrible one." When smiled at her she said, "All right let's go get her present because if we're late getting to Target she'll leave us."

Henry laughed and the two of them began their journey to the store that Regina's present was at.

 **xXxXxX**

Henry didn't know a lot about jewellery but the ring that the guy had brought out and shown Emma was incredible. The band was white gold and the medium sized stone that was set in the middle was a dark purple sapphire then there were small black diamonds that accented it. It was an amazing ring. He reached for it and Emma swatted at his hand, "Don't touch it. Jeez kid. It's worth enough that I probably should have spent the money getting you a car but you don't need one so this is what I did with it."

Henry still stared at the ring in awe as he asked, "Did mom give the sheriff's department a raise? Because that couldn't have been cheap."

Emma chuckled then being extra careful she took the ring out the box and said, "Your mom won't give into my budget increase no matter what so I had to save for this. What do you think?"

Henry smiled at her. "It's awesome Ma. But aren't you going overboard for a Christmas present?"

Emma put the ring back in its box and said, "This isn't a Christmas present. I mean it is but it isn't."

Henry got a confused look his face as he tried to figure out what the ring was for. "If it isn't a Christmas present then-" He realised what it was for and Henry reverted back to being an excited kid. As a huge smile took up his face he exclaimed, "Oh my god this is an engagement ring."

Emma nodded as she looked down at the jewellery case. Henry had to resist the urge to express his excitement out loud but he did wrap his arms around Emma and gave her a tight hug. Even though he was beyond excited tears came to his eyes. This couldn't have been more perfect and he was overwhelmed by the joy that he felt for his moms. Emma gave his back an awkward pat and said, "Okay kid….you gotta let go. Can't breathe." Henry chuckled and let go of her. He stood up straight and wiped at his eyes. Emma placed her hand on his shoulder and asked, "Hey what's the matter?"

Henry smiled at her then shook his head. "Nothing Ma. I'm just happy for you and mom. You two have come a long way and I'm just glad that you two have finally found the happiness that you both deserve."

The corner of Emma's mouth went up to form a small smile and she said, "I never thought I would be able to love someone like I did your dad but I found that and more with your mom. She's the missing puzzle piece Henry and I'm glad I finally figured it out."

Henry grinned at her and said, "I'm glad you did too."

Emma took a deep breath then pointed at the ring as she said, "So you think she'll like it?"

"She'll love it."

Henry thought Emma's face brightened as she looked at the ring. "Okay let's ring this up. We've got ten minutes before your mom starts texting me and threatening to leave us here."

Henry laughed then said, "Well if she does when you propose to her let her know that this was why you were taking so long and I'm sure she'll forgive you."

"This is your mother we're talking about. She'll still feel justified no matter what." Emma remarked as she gave the clerk her card to run the transaction.

Henry laughed then slung his arm around Emma's shoulders so he could give her a hug. This was going to be a memorable Christmas for his family. Remembering the bet he made with himself Henry began to chuckle. He was going to have to start writing up his speech. He just hoped that he would be able to make it a memorable one.


	3. Christmas Eve Surprise

**Disclaimer: Don't own the characters. They belong to their respective creators and studios.**

* * *

Emma made her way down the stairs then she headed into the living room. She saw that Regina was sitting on the floor wrapping a couple presents for Henry and she asked, "Do you want a glass of wine or anything?"

Regina looked at her and smiled. "A glass of wine would be great. Thank you."

Emma grinned at her. "It's not a problem." She turned around and as she walked back to the kitchen she put her hand into her pocket and rubbed the velvet box that was in it. Tonight was the night. Tonight worked because they wouldn't be exhausted from the high energy that came with Christmas Day and dealing with their family. Right now it was just the two of them, a roaring fire, and a Christmas tree. Emma got them both a glass of wine then she went back into the living room. She gave Regina her wine then she sat next to her on the floor.

Regina smiled at her and said, "I think your brother and sister will be overwhelmed by the number of presents they got."

Emma chuckled and told her, "Well it obvious that everyone in this family wants to spoil them."

Regina looked at her with a contemplative look on her face then she grinned. "So I'm family now?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "You've always been family." She took hold of her hand and said, "It's just a little more solid now."

Regina moved closer to her then rested her head on her shoulder. "I'm sure it is." She took a sip of wine then said, "Henry won't tell me what you got me. Though every time I ask him about it he just smiles and gives me a hug. I'm not certain what that tells me."

Emma laughed a little then said, "It tells you that he thinks I have done a good job with your present."

"Which is…."

Emma laughed again then stated, "I'm not telling you that."

The two of them sat in silence for a moment and watched as the fire danced in the fire place. Regina took a deep breath then sighed. "Emma…" She squeezed Regina's side telling her to continue. The other woman was silent for a second then she said, "You make me happy."

Emma kissed the top of her head then said in a quiet voice, "You make me happy to Regina."

They sat there watching the fire and drinking wine. It was as if the world only consisted of them and they were only aware of each other. Regina sat up and placed her wine glass on the coffee table that had been pushed off to the side so they could sit on the floor in front of the couch. Emma rubbed her lower back and asked, "What are you doing? I was thinking you and I could take advantage of the fact that we are alone and our son is upstairs asleep."

Regina sat back and she gave Emma a quick kiss then smiled. "Hold on for one moment. I just remembered one of Henry's presents that I had hidden in my study."

Emma rolled her eyes and let out an exaggerated breath. "I mean if you really have to go get it…" She trailed off then looked at Regina with her best puppy dog face.

Regina chuckled and said, "Oh nice try dear but it's not going to work. I'll only be gone a second. Make sure that fire keeps going."

Emma looked at the fire that wasn't anywhere near going out and said, "Um…babe I think we got a while before we have to worry about that."

"I wasn't talking about that one." Regina said as she stood up.

Emma got the underlying meaning and she grinned. "I'll be sure to keep it going."

Regina smiled at her then walked out of the living room. Emma took a deep breath then let her head fall back against the couch before she let it out. She was anxious but she was more anxious about making a fool of herself than she was at actually proposing to Regina. Emma wanted her proposal to be perfect because Regina deserved nothing short of perfect. She watched the lights twinkle on the tree and she let her mind wander to what she would say. She could say a number of things like how she couldn't live without Regina or how she wanted to share a life with her but that all seemed to fall short of what Emma actually felt for the other woman and why she wanted to spend the rest of her life of her. She chuckled to herself then muttered, "Because the sex is wicked awesome with you and I don't think anyone else should experience that."

"What was that dear?" Regina asked as she walked back into the living room.

Emma sat up fast and she got a big smile on her face. "Oh nothing. I was mumbling to myself." She saw that the other woman wasn't carrying anything and she wondered, "Where's Henry's gift at?" She watched as Regina closed the doors for the living room then she waved her hand over it and the double doors shimmered for a moment then it faded. "What are you doing? And what's going on?"

Regina turned to look at her and the smirk that was on her face scared Emma yet at the same time it turned her on. She watched as Regina turned off the lights in the room and when she sat next to her on the floor the only light illuminating the room where the Christmas tree and the fire. Emma was still confused as to what the woman was up to but she was certain it had something to do with them and sex. Or so she hoped. The two of them sat there looking at each other for a moment then Regina reached out to run her hand over Emma's hair as she smiled. "I love you Emma." Emma was about to return the sentiment but Regina placed a finger on her lips and continued. "I love you so much that all your little, annoying idiosyncrasies and your stubborn nature have all grown on me and I couldn't imagine going a day without you in my life."

She chuckled and when Regina looked back at her Emma could see that her eyes were shimmering with tears but the smile remained on her face. "It's funny, you blow into my life and I thought you were hell bent on destroying my life and taking Henry away from me, but quite the opposite has happened. You believed in me at time when others blamed me even though they had every right to do so. You were there when I faltered and you were there when I needed support. Granted there were times I wanted to tell you to go mind your own business but I knew your stubbornness wouldn't allow for you to do that. So I accepted your place in my life. As Henry's other mother and as someone who would always be there for me no matter what." Regina took a deep breath and asked, "Do you remember our first date?"

Emma smiled and she took hold of Regina's hand. "How could I forget? That was the first time I told you I loved you."

Regina returned the smiled and said, "You did, and the first thing I thought when told me that was: it's about frickin' time." Emma got a surprised look on her face and Regina laughed. She caught her breath then explained, "Emma we had been basically acting like a couple for the last few years and I just never said anything because I didn't want to lose you."

"But you dated that asshole." Emma exclaimed as she thought about how long Regina might have loved her for.

Regina gave her a pointed look and countered, "And you dated the handless wonder."

Okay she had her that. Emma sighed then said, "Okay. You win." She then had a question for her, "When did you realise that you loved me?"

Regina took a deep breath then smiled. "In Neverland. Right before we saved Henry. I realised that you were the one person I wanted with me to save him. I wouldn't have been able to keep a level head if it weren't for you."

Emma sat there completely stunned by Regina's confession. The woman had loved her for the last five years and she felt like a complete idiot and an asshole for not noticing it sooner. "Regina I never thought-I mean I didn't-"

"You didn't know Emma and that's fine. Like I said I didn't want to ruin what we had at the time which was us getting along and raising Henry together." Regina said trying to rationalise the situation for her.

Emma shook her head then said, "But still, we could have been together."

Regina smiled at her. "We're together now and that's all that matters. We can't change the past, Emma and even if it could be done I wouldn't want to." She looked down at her joined hands and she gave Emma's hand a gentle squeeze. "Our past is a unique one and it has changed the both of us for the better." Emma nodded in agreement and Regina looked up at her as she continued, "It also means that our present and future together will also be better." She slipped her free hand into the pocket of the pants that she only wore at home when she was relaxing and pulled out a dark green ring box. Emma gawked at it. She couldn't believe this was happening.

Regina opened the box to reveal a white gold band with a small emerald in the middle and she said, "I know you wouldn't have gone for flashy so I thought something simple would suffice." Emma still hadn't found the ability to speak so Regina continued to speak. "I know we've only been together a short amount of time but I feel like we've been together for the last few years and I want to make it official. I want to marry you, Emma. That's if you want to of course."

It was at this moment that Emma had found her voice, "Well this is fricking unbelievable. You couldn't tell me you love me all those years ago but you can propose to me." She shook her head. "Unbelievable."

Regina got a pointed look on her face and said, "The circumstances had been different Emma. And if you don't want to-"

"No, no, no. That's not what I'm saying." She let out a frustrated breath then said, "Shit." Deciding she would let her actions speak for her Emma pulled out the black ring box that was in her pocket then handed it to Regina. The woman got a confused look on her face and she gestured towards her, "Well go on and open it."

Regina opened the box then gasped. "Oh Emma…"

Emma chuckled and said, "I was going to propose to you tonight. I just couldn't find the words. I'm sorry what I said I was just surprised and-"

Regina pressing her lips on hers had cut her off. The two of them kissed for a moment then Regina pulled back and said, "Yes."

"Yes?" Emma questioned. Her mind was still reeling from the kiss that they had just shared.

Regina nodded her head. "Yes I'll marry you."

Emma chuckled then asked, "Are you serious?"

"Yes I'm serious," Regina told her before placed a soft kiss on her lips. Then she asked, "Are you going to answer my question?"

Emma got a confused look on her face then she realised what Regina was talking about. She grinned and wrapped her arms around Regina's waist as she said, "Yes, Regina. I will marry you."

The two of them kissed again but this time there was heat behind it along with an excitement that came with knowing that they were going to spend the rest of their lives together. Emma broke the kiss and she pulled off the turtle neck that Regina was wearing. Regina held up her hand and said, "Wait a moment." She got up and got the blanket off the back of the couch then she laid it down in front of the fire place but far away from it. Regina sat down on it and Emma crawled over to the blanket to join her. When she was close enough Regina ran her hands through her hair then pulled her head closer to kiss her. It lingered a moment then she pulled back and whispered, "I love you Emma Swan."

Emma smirked as she responded, "I love you too Regina Mills." Their lips met and the two of them gave into the passion and love that they felt for each other.

 **xXxXxX**

Emma and Regina were cuddled up under the thick blanket Regina had conjured up for them and Regina had her head resting on Emma's chest. Their lovemaking had been incredible and Emma didn't know if it was because of them promising themselves to each other or what but it had been fantastic. Regina had been so uninhibited in her actions and Emma had found her beautiful with each passing moment. Emma dragged the fingertips up and down Regina's arm then she held out her other hand to summon the ring that was still on the floor by the couch. When it appeared in her hand Regina chuckled and remarked, "That is the best use of your magic dear."

Emma smiled and she kissed her forehead then murmured, "I'm certain I have other uses for it but this is important."

"It certainly is but you could have gotten that fire going again because I didn't turn the thermostat back up." Regina commented as she cuddled further into Emma to get more body heat.

Emma opened the ring box and told her, "I'll leave the fireworks to you. Remember the last time I tried to do that?"

Regina began to laugh and when she caught her breath she said, "How could I forget? You had almost set the whole backyard on fire. And I banned you from using your magic to start fires." She kissed the underside of Emma's jaw. "Thank you for reminding me."

Emma scowled but she watched as Regina sat up and did some magic to get the fire going again. When she was resting on laying back down and comfortable Emma took hold of her hand and slipped the engagement ring on her hand. The two of them looked at the dark stone as the flames danced. "It's such a beautiful ring Emma."

Emma took hold of Regina's hand and said, "It is because it needs to match your beautiful personality."

Regina laughed at little and said, "What a cheesy line." She lifted her head and gave Emma a kiss. Then as she pulled back she said, "But I still love you."

Emma grinned and replied, "I love you too." The two of them shared another kiss but this time it was deeper, longer, and the passion behind it said that they were about to get into another round of lovemaking. This was the best Christmas that Emma had ever had.

* * *

Henry rolled out of bed at three in the morning. He was having trouble sleeping and he thought some late night TV and some cookies and milk would help. He walked down the stairs then headed to the kitchen. As he went to the back of the house Henry noticed that the living room doors were closed but he thought it was because of the Christmas presents. It was a habit that his mom had gotten into when he was little so that he didn't get into the presents. Henry got a few sugar cookies and big glass of milk then he headed to the living room. When he tried to open the door it wouldn't budge and it didn't move after he put down his milk and cookies. Henry scowled at the door then pressed his ear against it. He couldn't hear anything. Finding the whole situation odd he shuffled back up to his room and as he got settled into his bed to watch Netflix he decided that he would ask his mom about it tomorrow morning.


	4. Christmas News

**Characters aren't mine.**

* * *

Regina leaned against the counter in front of the sink and cradled the big mug of coffee between her hands. She took a deep breath and let the aroma of it wash over her then she took a drink from it before letting out a content sigh as a smile came to her face. She was happy. It had taken her long time to get here but she was finally happy and there was no feeling of dread with it. Just fulfilment and happiness. She looked down at the ring that was now on her hand and the smile on her face grew wider.

Emma had proposed to her, well they had proposed to each other, but that didn't make what had happened between them any less special. Regina had been planning to propose for quite some time now but last night seemed like the appropriate time. She just had no idea that Emma had felt the same way. Before Henry went off to school Emma would joke about how they should just get married for convince sake so that their family was more legitimate but Regina would brush it off or say some smart ass remark that would have Emma regretting her decision to joke about the matter which would end their conversation.

However Emma being ready to propose to Regina had been a complete surprise considering the way she had responded to the joke Henry had made about them when he found out about their relationship. Regina wasn't certain what caused the woman to change her mind but she was happy that she did and even if they had decided to never get married she would have been fine with it. All she wanted to do was be with Emma. Regina had been honest when she had told Emma that all she cared about was them and their future together.

Regina took a deep breath to get out of her deep reverie. Emma's family was going to be over at eleven for breakfast and to open presents then she and Mary Margret would prepare dinner for the family. It was a pleasant holiday tradition that developed because Emma wanted to spend the holidays with Henry and her family so Regina offered to host Christmas one year and it never changed after that. There were adjustments made because Mary Margret wanted to be helpful but that was only on her end. She adored having the younger members of the Charming family over for the holiday though. Watching Kayleigh and James open presents made her get more into the Christmas spirit.

Regina began to get everything ready for breakfast when she let out a quick yawn which was followed by a sly smirk. Spending the night celebrating her and Emma's engagement wasn't doing her any favours this morning but all she needed was a little more coffee and a quick nap later then she would be fine. She began to cook bacon when Henry stumbled into the kitchen and he let out a groan then said, "Oh my god coffee. Mom you are the best."

Regain smiled at him and said, "Remember that the next time I don't send you money when you're at school." This was a fine time for her to bring up his spending habits. "Speaking of...what are you spending your money on? Because with what Emma and I send you for the month, on top of whatever you sucker from Emma." She glanced at him and saw the deer in headlights look on his face. She chuckled a little and told him, "Emma can't keep anything from me Henry. And she definitely can't keep anything from me when it comes to you. So, my darling son, tell me what you have been spending your money on?"

Henry glanced down into his coffee mug and shrugged. "It's New York mom. Stuff's expensive there."

Regina stared at her son and she actually looked at him. She noticed the way he was avoiding eye contact and that mixed in with the slight colour that was coming to his cheeks told her that something was up. As Henry chewed his bottom lip Regina pointed a finger at him and narrowed her eyes. "You are a worse liar than your mother." She dropped her hand and commented, "You're part Charming so it never works for you." Regina went back to focusing on the bacon. "So are you going to tell me about her or no?"

Henry took a long drink from his coffee mug then looked in the pan that the bacon was cooking it. He scratched the back of his head then dropped his hand. Regina started to think Henry's extravagant spending wasn't about a girl. She began to wonder if the college life was providing him with some unsavoury experiences that she would not tolerate. If that was the case then he would be transferring schools as soon as possible. Regina had read good things about the University of Maine when she had been trying to talk Henry into going there. There was another moment of silence between them then Henry gasped. Regina jerked her head up to look at him. "What?"

Henry got a big smile on his face and pointed to her hand that was holding the tongs that she was using to cook bacon with. Regina looked down and realised that he had seen the ring. She chuckled and said, "Don't act so surprised considering you've known about it for the last couple of weeks."

He moved to give her a one armed hug then he kissed the side of her head. Regina wondered when he had gotten so tall but before she could slip into melancholy state about her little boy growing up Henry asked, "When did she do it? I know it was after I had gone to bed."

Regina nodded and focused on the bacon sizzling in the pan. "She did. We were in the living room enjoying some wine and I proposed to her then she-"

"Oh my god mom!" Henry exclaimed. "You proposed to Emma? What?"

Regina couldn't fight the laugh that bubbled up in her chest because of the wide-eyed response Henry had on his face. She let it out and when she calmed down Regina told him, "I surprised your mother too." She took a deep breath as she turned over the bacon. "I love her so much Henry. I've loved her since we got you out of Neverland and possibly longer if I actually thought about it."

Regina paused for a moment and bit the inside of her bottom lip as she thought about her relationship with Emma over the years. It had started out convoluted but had evened out over the last few years which paved the way for them to have a relationship. Regina took a deep breath then said, "But one day she was being well...Emma." She shared a smile with Henry. "And the amount of love I felt, feel for her is astounding. And..." Regina trailed off before a wide smile came to her face. "I want to spend the rest of my life with her."

Henry gave her another squeeze. "I'm so happy for you and Ma. Especially you though. You've fought so damn hard to get here." Regina gave him a pointed look and Henry shook his head, grinning. "No mom. You don't get to get on me about my swearing. Not when I'm so excited that the two of you have finally gotten over your stuff."

Regina scoffed. "I didn't have stuff. Emma had stuff."

Henry rolled his eyes and commented, "You had stuff. But it doesn't matter. You two are going to get married then I can get a little brother or sister so I can teach them how to make you and Ma suckers. Oh and I-" He gasped then said, "You two were having sex in the living room last night."

Regina gawked at Henry and before she could say anything Emma walked into the kitchen. "Oh I smell bacon and coffee. This must be heaven."

Regina looked at the other woman then back at Henry who ran over and gave Emma a tight hug. She grunted when he embraced her then remarked, "Caffeine. I….need….caffeine."

Henry let go of her and said, "I hear congratulations are in order."

Regina moved to the cabinet and got a coffee mug then poured Emma some coffee. Emma walked over to her and before she took her cup of coffee she gave Regina a kiss then murmured, "Morning."

Regina smiled and said in a quiet voice, "Morning." They looked into each other's eyes and the smiles that were on their faces didn't disappear. Regina and Emma were beyond happy with each other and had found something that either of them didn't think they would find again.

"Impressionable teenager in the room," Henry said after clearing his throat loud enough so that it disturbed them.

Regina rolled her eyes and remarked, "He's your son."

Emma grinned and said, "Oh no. He gets his smartass ways from you."

Regina shook her head and went back to the stove so she could let Emma make her coffee. The three of them were talking when Henry asked, "So ma when are you and mom going to have kids?"

Emma's eyes grew wide and Regina shook her head. Henry liked to mess with Emma because of her over the top reactions and it seemed to be getting worse the older he got. Regina turned around then looked at him and asked, "Are you going to tell us about your girlfriend?"

Henry clamped his mouth shut as his cheeks began to turn red. Emma looked at him then at Regina before she exclaimed, "Girlfriend? When did you get a girlfriend?" She looked at Regina. "When did you allow him to get a girlfriend? What happened to, 'no girl will ever be good enough to date Henry'?"

"Mom!"

Regina rolled her eyes in exasperation. The Charming genes were also responsible for over the top reactions. She smiled at Emma. "I only found out today and I still stand beside that but Henry will have to make his own mistakes."

Henry scoffed and commented, "Well I won't be able to if you plan to throw a fireball at any girl I date."

A devious grin came to Regina's face. "I hadn't thought about that but thank you Henry."

Henry covered his face and groaned while Emma chuckled. Regina turned back to the stove. "You two go make sure everything is all set for opening presents later."

A kiss was placed on Regina's cheek then Emma whispered, "I hope you were only kidding." Regina just turned her head and smiled at her. Emma kissed her then muttered, "Your evil queen is showing."

Regina chuckled and remarked, "I'm certain you wouldn't mind seeing her."

Emma's eyes darkened with desire and before either of them could say anything Henry said, raising his voice, "Impressionable teenager _still_ in the room."

Emma scowled and Regina smiled. The other woman moved away from her and stated, "You are not impressionable if you have a girlfriend. And you need to tell me about her while we get the living room ready."

"Oh so we're going to be opening presents in the room the two of you defiled-"

"Henry Daniel Mills." Regina stated in a tone that she hoped still instilled fear in her son.

He was quiet a moment then she heard, "Sorry mom. I didn't mean it. I was only joking."

Regina turned around and narrowed her eyes at him, "I don't care if you were joking. Enough is enough. Now can you please go do what I asked you to do?"

He nodded then walked out of the kitchen. Emma was watching him leave the room then she looked at Regina and asked, "Was that necessary?"

Regina turned back to the stove and said, "He was getting out of hand."

She heard Emma move closer to her and she said, "He's a teenager. They get out of hand." There was split second of silence between them then Emma wondered, "Are you going to be like this when we have another kid?" Regina turned her head and gawked at Emma. The other woman quickly added, "I mean I wouldn't mind more kids. If you don't."

Regina stood there stunned. She hadn't thought about more kids. There had been fleeting moments where she thought about more kids but she always thought that Emma wouldn't want more. "Ma can you come help me move the couch?"

Emma leaned in and gave Regina a quick kiss before she walked away and shouted, "Yeah. Make sure there's enough room for your aunt and uncle to run around."

Regina was still staring at the spot that Emma had been standing in. Emma wanted more kids. That was something they had never talked about. Regina shook her head and finished making breakfast. They'll talk about it later. When it wasn't Christmas and they had family coming over.

* * *

Henry was piling food on his plate, like his Ma and grandfather, and Kayleigh was asking him all sorts of questions that he had no idea how to answer. He kept a low profile after he and Emma had prepared the living room for the madness that was his younger aunt and uncle opening presents and playing with their new toys.

He also didn't want to get grilled about a girlfriend which he didn't have. Though he was now wary of bringing home anyone he dated. One of his moms was a magic wielding sheriff who could shoot a gun well while his other mother threw fireballs and could probably do other unspeakable acts if challenged. "Henry when do we get to open presents?" James asked from his seat which was next to Kayleigh's.

Henry smiled at the little boy. "You have to finish your toast and juice. If you don't Santa will take your toys back."

Both James and Kayleigh looked at him then Kayleigh exclaimed, "Mommy is Santa going to take back my presents? Henry said he is because I didn't eat my toast."

Mary Margret got an exasperated look on her face and said, "No sweetie he's not going to take back you presents but he will remember this for next year so eat your toast." Then she glared at Henry and he ducked his head though he had a smirk on his face.

"Kid, you better stop causing trouble or Santa will take one of your presents. I hear one of them is pretty nice and I might take it for myself." Emma warned before she dove into the stack of pancakes on her plate.

Henry rolled his eyes because neither she nor his mom would take one of his presents, but they could make his life a nightmare. "Emma pass me the biscuits." David asked from across the table. Emma handed him the baskets that the biscuits were in and as she pulled her hand back he exclaimed, "Whoa, whoa, whoa." He grabbed his hand. "What is this?"

Henry looked at Emma and he almost laughed at the lethal look that was on her face. You didn't get between her and her food. Especially if it's his mom's cooking. She looked at her hand then smiled. "Oh yeah." Emma pulled her hand back and looked at Regina. "Is now a good time."

Henry watched as his mom wiped her mouth as she nodded her head. He had to bit his bottom lip to suppress the smile that wanted to break out on his face. "Is now a good time for what?" Mary Margret asked from her seat next to David.

Emma's smile grew as she said, "Mom, dad….Regina and I are getting married."

Henry covered his mouth as he watched his grandparents' reactions. His grandma looked confused and at a loss for words while his grandpa looked stunned for a moment then he stood up from his seat and walked over to his mom and Emma. He hugged Emma first then Regina before he said, "Well it's about time and congratulations."

"I honestly thought you two were going to live in denial for the remainder of your lives," Mary Marget commented before she also went over to give them both hugs.

Henry let out a breath of relief. Everyone was happy about his mothers' engagement. "Daddy what's going on?" Kayleigh asked before chewing on a piece of bacon.

David smiled at the little girl and said, "Your sister and Regina are going to get married."

"Ohhhhh." Kayleigh's eyebrows scrunched together then she asked, "Can I be the flower girl?"

Emma stood up from her seat and walked over to her little sister's chair. She picked her up out of her seat and after blowing a raspberry on her cheek, which caused Kayleigh to giggle, she said, "Of course you're going to be the flower girl. And James is going to be the ring bearer."

"Sounds boring," James commented as he played with the food on his plate.

Henry shook his head then told him, "But there will be cake. " The little boy looked at Henry. "Oh yeah there will be this big cake and lots of music and guess what?"

"What?" James asked wide eyed as the prospect of a wedding started to sound more interesting.

Henry smiled at him and said, "I get to make a speech and it's going to be funny too."

"That's so cool."

"Excuse me," David said holding up his hand. "Does anyone else think that him making a speech at you two's wedding might be a bad idea?"

Henry scoffed then said, "Oh it's no worse than Blue making a speech."

All the adults nodded and agreed. The head fairy was a bit brusque in the delivery of her speeches and also condescending. His mom gave him a pointed look and said, "Henry will make sure his speech is child appropriate and doesn't derail the festivities."

Henry stood up then raised his right hand and said, "I, Henry Mills-Swan, promise to keep my best man speech to five minutes long and to two inappropriate jokes."

"One," Emma said.

Henry raised his eyebrow as he challenged, "One and a half?"

Emma chuckled. "How do you tell half a joke?"

He shrugged then said, "I dunno but I'll make it work."

Emma looked at him then said, "Okay. One and a half. Oh and you're changing your name?"

He looked at his mom then back to Emma and said, "Well that's going to be the family name now right? Mills-Swan? Or Swan-Mills?"

Regina got up and said, "That's something your mother and I will need to discuss. But we have a while before that so until then we shall continue to enjoy Christmas." She looked at the two little kids at the table and asked, "Who wants to open presents?"

James jumped out of his seat and Kayleigh all but leaped out of Emma's arms as they both yelled, "Me! Me! Me!"

After Emma put Kayleigh down, both Mary Margret and Regina ran after them while Emma, Henry, and David followed after them. David asked, "Why does Henry get to be your best man?"

"Because Gramps I'm her son."

"But I'm her father."

Emma groaned and she walked away from the two of them as she mumbled, "So begins the wedding headache."

Henry laughed at her and walked into the living room. There was no way he was going to let his grandfather usurp him of his best man title. Henry sat down next to the Christmas tree and leaned back against the wall as he opened his first present. His mom had been right. The wedding planning could wait. Right now was about enjoying the holiday with their family. Henry looked around at the happiness that surrounded him. He was glad that his family was happy and was even more excited for the joyous event that would take place in the new year.

* * *

 **There's one more installment to this one.**


	5. Henry's Guest

**Characters aren't mine**

* * *

Regina forced herself to join the conscious world when there was no warm body for her to snuggle up to. She cracked an eye open then frowned, she was in bed alone. It was the day before her and Emma's wedding and she wanted to spend as much time with Emma before they were swept up in wedding activities. For the last three months they had been planning this wedding and now they were able to get a small breather before the ceremony was to happen in almost twenty-four hours. Regina sighed then decided to get out of bed so that she could go find Emma. Henry was set to come home later that afternoon then they were going to have a rehearsal dinner at Granny's. Regina was nervous. Not about the wedding itself, but by the fact that she had found her happy ever after and was worried that something was going to ruin it. It was something that Regina had been trying to ignore for the last few months and she tried not to let the thoughts get to her but it was hard to fight them considering her past.

Regina slipped on her robe then walked out of the room. Making her way down the stairs, Regina heard music coming from the kitchen and she smelled food. She wanted to smile but the thought of Emma destroying her kitchen and giving her food poisoning caused her slight concern. When she got to the doorway of the kitchen Regina let out a relieved breath, seeing that Emma wasn't cooking. In front of Emma, Styrofoam containers were strewn all over the counter while she was bobbed her head and sang as she made up the plates. "Cause your sex takes me to paradise...yeah your sex takes me to paradise…."

Regina smiled as Emma got into the chorus of the song. She walked up behind her and when she was close enough she whispered in her ear, "Your sex takes me to paradise too."

"Jesus!" Emma exclaimed as she fumbled with the container that was full of fruit. "I could have turned you into a toad or something," she said as she turned to face Regina.

Regina tried not to get a sarcastic look on her face but she knew she failed when Emma scowled at her. "It's not that I'm saying that you don't possess the ability to do that dear. It's just that you suck at magic."

Emma rolled her eyes then put the container down on the counter before she took hold of Regina's head and placed a firm kiss on her lips. She pulled and Regina saw the huge smile on her face. "What?"

"We're getting married tomorrow."

Regina pushed her insecurities down and smiled. "Yes we are."

Emma placed her hands on Regina's waist. "It has been a long time coming. Even though you and my mom have been giving me a headache." Regina scowled at her. "Well it's true, but it all going to be worth it."

Regina shook her head. Emma had opted-out of helping her plan for the wedding, claiming that her knowledge was best meant for food. So Regina had planned the wedding with Snow and Henry, whenever he was able to take the time to help her. Emma had planned the menu and the reception but they picked out the cake together. The one caveat to Emma being in charge of the menu was that Regina had to approve of all items that were on it. There was no way a former queen was going to have a buffet of burgers and fries at her wedding reception. Regina was certain if that occurred she would have lost it on Emma and might end up a widow only hours after getting married to the woman. "Why are we having Granny's for breakfast?"

Emma glanced at the containers sitting on the counter then a shy smile appeared on her face as she met her gaze. "I wanted to do something special for you and wake you up with breakfast in bed but obviously I can't cook so I had Ruby cook up some healthy choices."

Regina rested her hands on Emma's shoulder and asked, "And what did you get?"

Emma pulled her closer to her and said, "Two veggie omelettes cooked in olive oil, turkey bacon, and some fresh fruit."

Regina leaned in and kissed Emma. "What are we doing for the rest of the morning?" She wondered as she pulled back.

Emma grimaced a little. "I'm going to the station to get everything in order so my dad won't have to worry about paperwork while we're on our honeymoon."

Regina pouted. That wasn't the answer that she was hoping for and she was going to try to get Emma to change her plans for the morning. "I'm the mayor and you're giving me that paperwork and since I'm not going to work, you have nothing to worry about."

Regina watched as Emma thought about that then a smirk came to face. "I know but then we'll come back and you'll ask me where this document or another is and next thing you know I'm sleeping on the couch after our honeymoon." She chuckled. "I would like to avoid that."

Regina rolled her eyes. She honestly didn't care what the Sheriff's department did because Emma wasn't bad a running it. She decided that it was going to take drastic measures to get what she really wanted. "Emma, I am naked under this robe." Emma's eyes widened and her eyebrows rose a bit. Regina smirked as she continued to get the other woman interested in other things besides work. "Yep, nothing but me under here, but if you're interested in going to work then I guess I will have to handle things on my own then."

Regina turned around and began to make her way out of the kitchen. She started to count in her head and by the time she reached three she felt Emma place her hands on her waist. She pulled Regina back against her and Regina closed her eyes as a trail of kisses went up her neck. "Mrs. Swan-Mills don't think I don't know what you were up to." Regina smirked as Emma continued. "I will get you back for your underhanded tactics."

Regina turned her head then captured Emma's lips for a fevered kiss. Emma held her firmly in place as the kiss deepened. Regina let the kiss linger for another moment then moved away from the other woman. She continued to make her way down the hall that led to the foyer and remarked, "You have to be home in order for you to make good on that threat Emma." Regina turned to look at the green eyes that were hungry for her and smiled before a cloud of purple smoke enveloped her.

Up in their room she heard Emma shout, "That's not fair Regina."

Regina chuckled as she took off her robe then she lay on the bed and waited for Emma to get into the room so they could engage in the strenuous activity that she had been wanting ever since she woke up.

 **XxXxXx**

Emma watched Regina as she wandered around and cleaned the already immaculate living room. Henry was set to be home at any moment and he was bringing a guest with him. When Emma had spoken with him last week he had asked her to ask Regina if he could bring a guest with him to the wedding. Emma had spent twenty minutes grilling him about the guest he was going to bring and all he would tell her was that he was bringing a friend. That didn't help Emma in presenting her case to Regina so it lead to an hour long discussion before the woman eventually called their son to find out who he was bringing. Regina had caved when Henry had told her that she needed to trust him and that he was almost an adult. That of course caused Regina to go off on him and Emma had to intervene. In the end she was the one who gave Henry permission to bring his friend and Regina didn't talk to her for two days. It was the longest two days of Emma's life.

"Babe, sit down. The living room is as clean as it's going to be and I don't think Henry's friend will mind," Emma said as she turned off the TV.

Regina glared at her and snapped, "This is your fault. You allowed him to bring this girl into our home and to our wedding."

Emma pressed her lips together. She knew there were times where she should keep her mouth shut and this was one of those times. She got up from her spot on the couch and walked over to where Regina was. She pulled the feather duster out of her hand then took hold of her waist and turned her so that she was facing her. "Stop. You need to relax." Regina opened her mouth to argue or say something smart but Emma cut her off. "No Regina. He's nineteen now and you knew that this was going to happen sooner or later." She smiled. "I'm happy that he has found someone to date. I was getting worried that he was going to be one of those weird guys that lives with his moms." Regina glared at her but that didn't deter Emma from pressing a kiss to her forehead.

She wrapped her arms around the other woman and Regina rested her head against her shoulder. They stood there for a moment then Regina said, "I just don't want to see him get hurt. When he was little I made sure I did everything to make sure that he was a well protected and happy child."

"But he's not a child anymore Regina. He's a young man and he's going to screw up, get hurt, and do things that will cause us to worry but this is how he'll learn," Emma chuckled. "Trust me, I know. I have a long list of mistakes and experiences that make up my past but all those mistakes and experiences lead me to the one place I needed to be," she lowered her voice and whispered, "here with you."

Regina pulled back to look into Emma eyes then she brought her head close, murmuring, "I love you." Their lips met and the kiss was a slow, tender one that was full of love. Emma thought her heart would burst from her chest because of how much love she felt for the woman in her arms. It was interrupted when they both heard the front door open. Regina moved away from Emma then rushed out of the living room but she came to a sudden stop when reached the entryway.

Emma's saw the stunned look on Regina's face and she got concerned that their son's girlfriend was something that the other woman hadn't expected. It wasn't every day that something surprised Regina. She walked across the room and when Emma reached the entryway she saw why Regina had stopped in her tracks. Standing next to Henry was a slender, brown skinned young man who had bright eyes and polite smile on his face. Henry's guest was an actual friend. Emma got smug smile on her face because Regina had been expecting a girl and their son had actually brought one of his friends with him. She walked over to Henry and gave him a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek before she said, "First year of college is over, how excited are you?"

Henry chuckled a little. "With finals over I'm relieved. Ma, why did Gramps pick us up?"

Emma forced a smile on her face and pointed to the young man that was standing next to him. "Who's your friend Henry?"

Regina had finally moved to greet their son and as he hugged her Henry replied, "That's Jake. He's uh….my friend."

Emma stuck out her hand and Jake took it. As they shook hands she said, "It is great to meet you Jake. When Henry said he was bringing a friend this wasn't what we were expecting."

"A black guy?"

Emma felt her cheeks heat up with embarrassment and she was certain she looked like a fish as her mouth opened and closed as she tried to find the words that would explain what she had meant. "What my tactless fiancée meant, was that we were expecting Henry to bring the girl that he is seeing." Regina explained and Emma gave her a grateful smile. "It is nice to meet you Jake and as mayor of this town I would like to say welcome to Storybrooke."

Jake shook Regina's offered hand and smiled. "Thank you for the welcome Ms. Mills. Henry has told me so much about the town he's from and his moms. I was excited when he told me that you had said I was welcomed at the wedding."

The two men shared a look and Emma noticed the bashful smile that Henry had gotten on his face. She glanced at Jake and saw the adoring look in his eyes. Her mind started formulating a thought but before she was able to think too much on it Henry lifted one of his suitcases and said, "I think I'll go show Jake around then we can get settled in."

"Of course dear." Henry and Jake started for the stairs and Regina called out, "Henry I just vacuumed your room so try to keep it clean."

"Sure thing mom," Henry said as him and Jake began to climb the stairs.

Emma got a perplexed look on her face when she happened to hear Jake tease Henry. "Your mom still cleans your room? That's cute."

She wasn't able to hear Henry's response but that mixed in with the looks she noticed moments ago had her pondering about son's relationship with his friend. Regina walked over to her and asked, "I bet you feel pretty damn good about yourself don't you?"

Emma kept her face neutral as she said, "I'm not certain I know what you're talking."

Regina wrapped her arms around Emma waist then brushed the tip of her nose against Emma's before remarking "I'm sure you don't." She moved her head back a little. "You want me to say it don't you?"

Emma grinned. "I still have no idea what you're talking about."

Regina scowled at her then she blew a breath. "Fine I'll say it. I was worrying about nothing and you were right."

Emma smirked and she gave her a quick kiss. As she pulled back she pushed a lock of hair out of Regina's face and smiled. "As much as I would like to revel in being right, because I'm certain it will be the only time that this will happen in this century, but I think you might have been right. I think."

"What are you talking about? Henry brought Jake. Not some girl who will break his heart," Regina said as her as eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.

Emma took a deep breath and she let out through her nose then said in a quiet voice, "I'm not a hundred percent certain but I think Henry and Jake might be…." She trailed off and hoped that Regina would be able to connect the dots.

Regina continued to look at her with a confused expression and Emma knew that she hadn't picked up what she was trying to tell her. When she hadn't finished her sentence Regina demanded, "Might be what Emma?"

Emma looked up at the ceiling and came to the decision that she wasn't going to tell Regina something that might be all in her head. She looked at Regina and smiled. "They might be good friends. It's nice to see him make friends."

Regina regarded her for a moment but then her face relaxed and a small smile appeared. "Yes they do seem to be good friends. I'm going to go make them something to eat because the rehearsal dinner isn't until six so we have a while."

Emma nodded and said, "Sure thing babe. I'm going to go down to Granny's and make sure everything is all set for tonight. See if you can get Henry to talk about his grades when I talked to him yesterday he said they hadn't been posted but I call bull shit."

"Emma," Regina said with slight irritation. "Show some semblance of having a filter on that mouth of yours."

Emma gave her a quick kiss then winked at her. "Oh and pretend like we don't curse sailors? Nope. Plus they probably say worse."

Regina closed her eyes and shook her head. "Go please."

Emma chuckled then left out of the house. When she was driving to Granny's she began to think that she had been thinking too much about Henry's interaction with Jake. Times had changed and guys acted differently, or so she thought, but she wasn't going to think anything more about Henry and Jake's friendship. She would only give it another thought if Henry told her or if she caught him and Jake making out.

 **XxXxXx**

"Your mom is a little scary." Jake said as he walked into Henry's room.

Henry was unpacking his suitcase and he smirked. "She'll warm up to you. It takes her a little time to trust new people."

Jake sat down on the bed next the suitcase and grinned. "So that's where you get that from. Your ma seems cool though."

Henry nodded as he walked over to the dresser so that he could put his jeans away. "Yeah that's how Emma is. She's all right with you until you give her a reason not to trust you." He looked at Jake over his shoulder, "Which you won't right?"

Jake smiled then he got up and walked over to Henry. He hooked his finger onto one of the belt loops that was on Henry's jeans then pulled him back. Henry smiled when he felt a kiss to his back of his neck then Jake whispered in his ear, "I will do my best not to." Henry turned his head and placed his hand on the back of Jake's head as their lips met for a brief kiss. Jake moaned then moved away saying, "I don't know if I'll be able to obey the 'no sex in my moms' house' rule," he grinned, "you get so adorable when you're around your parents."

Henry shook his head and went back to putting his clothes away. "You only like it because you want to use it later to make fun of me."

Jake rubbed his back and said, "Well I do have to get my fun somehow."

"To think I was going to sneak into your room for a make out session tonight," Henry said with a grin on his face as he walked back to the suitcase.

Jake walked over to his bookcase and he picked up the leather bound book that was on it. "We'll see how long that lasts." He opened the book. "Is this it? The book that changed your life for the better?"

Henry walked over and he stood behind Jake as they looked at the page that had a picture of the Evil Queen on it. He rested his chin on his shoulder and said, "Yeah it is."

"The Evil Queen looks like she would be a bad ass dominatrix," Jake quipped as he glanced at Henry out the corner of his eye.

Henry bit his shoulder which caused him to hiss in pain then went back to putting his clothes away. "That's my mom you're talking about."

Jake rubbed his shoulder and pointed out, "No it isn't. I'm talking about the Evil Queen. Though if the mayor has a kinky side that does explain a lot about her son." Henry glared at his boyfriend and Jake held up his hand. "Sorry sweetie. I was only playing."

He put the book back then walked over to where Henry was standing. Jake took the stack of t-shirts out of his hand then he took hold of it. Henry knew that he couldn't resist Jake's pout and his sad hazel eyes. He sighed then pulled the other man closer to him. He wrapped his arm around Jake then gave him a kiss. It was supposed to be a quick one but Jake placed his hand on the side of his face and deepened it. There was nothing Henry could do to stop it because when Jake's lips were on his, he was lost to them. The two of them made their way to Henry's bed and he pushed the suitcase to the floor while trying to maintain the kiss with Jake. They toppled onto the bed and their kiss became more urgent.

"Henry, Jake, I brought you two something to-Henry Daniel Mills!"

Henry jumped off of Jake and looked at the door way to his room. His mom was standing in it and her eyes were wide with shock. She looked clueless as to what to say. Henry rushed over to her. "Mom it's not-" he got flustered because not only did his mom catch him making out with his boyfriend but his mind was elsewhere. Henry took a deep breath then said, "It's not what you think it is."

His mom narrowed her eyes at him and stated, "Oh so you weren't kissing a boy that you claimed to be your friend?"

Henry scratched the back of his head and looked down at the floor then he looked up at her through his eyelashes. "Oh. Yeah it's exactly what you think it is."

Regina pointed at him and said, "There are a number of things that we need to talk about but we will wait until your mother gets home. Until then," she cut her eyes to Jake then looked back at Henry, "the two of you will come downstairs."

She walked away and Henry covered his face and groaned. This was not how he wanted his moms to find out about him and Jake. He had planned a number of ways to tell them but the two of them making out on his childhood bed was not one of them. He felt Jake's hands on his shoulders then a quick kiss on his cheek. "At least she didn't throw a fireball at me."

Henry turned his head to glare at the man out the corner of his eye. "You're not helping Jacob." Jake removed his hands from his shoulders and Henry dropped his chin to his chest then reached back for Jake's hand. He gave it a squeeze and said, "Sorry. I just didn't want my mom and Emma to find out like this." He turned around and looked at the man standing behind him, "I wanted us to talk to them together."

Jake gave him a small smile, "I hate to say this Henry, but you should have told them when you asked to bring me to the wedding."

Henry gave him a pointed look but he knew that Jake was right. They had been dating since the beginning of the fall semester so he had a number of times to tell him moms about Jake. "Henry Mills," he heard his mom shout from the bottom of the stairs.

"Come on let's go before she does throw a fireball at the both of us," Henry said as he tugged on Jake's hand.

Jake followed him out of the room and remarked in a low voice, "I sorta want to see her do it." Henry looked at him with a deadpanned look. "Sorry. Sorry."

The two of them made their way downstairs and, even though Jake was trying to put his mind at ease, he was still uneasy about the impending conversation with his mothers. It wasn't that he wasn't certain of their reaction. Henry was sure that his moms didn't care about him dating Jake, it was the fact that he hadn't told them about Jake and had lied about their relationship. Then there was the whole overprotective mothers thing. His mom was going to flip and Emma would flip because even though he considered her to be the relaxed, cool mom she had her limits and lying was one of those limits. Henry saw his mom standing at the foot of stairs and the scowl that was on her face told him that this wasn't going to be a pleasant conversation.

 **XxXxXx**

Regina made sure that Henry and Jake were settled in the living room then she walked out of the room and headed for her study. She closed the door behind her then leaned against it and closed her eyes. Her son was dating another man. She had been mentally prepared for a woman and now she didn't know how to respond because she hadn't expected Henry to be interested in men. It wasn't the fact that Jake was a man, that she didn't care about, but now she had to change her whole line of thinking. Regina took a breath then walked over to her desk. She sat behind it and picked up the receiver for the phone that was sitting on it. There was no way she was going to talk to Henry about his boyfriend by herself. She would probably end up doing something that was irrational. Regina dialled the number for Emma's cell phone and it was answered on the second ring, "Hey Regina what's up?"

"Our son, no," She drew in a deep breath through her nose then said, " _your_ son, was making out with his boyfriend in his room. And I'm saying boyfriend unless there is some new trend where friends now make out with each other." The line was quiet and Regina demanded, "Emma did you hear me? You let our son bring his boyfriend, who we've never met before, to our wedding."

She heard Emma several noises of uncertainty then she muttered, "I had a feeling that they might have been together," she sighed. "You didn't freak out on him did you Regina?"

Regina scoffed then said, "What are you insinuating Emma?"

Emma was quiet then with some reluctance she said, "You're a little overbearing and when he does something that goes against the image of the perfect son you tend to lose it."

"I do not lose it," Regina retorted then she blew out an aggravated breath. "Can you come home so we can deal with this please?"

Emma let out a quiet sigh and Regina had to bite her tongue from snapping at her. "I will be home in five minutes." She paused for a moment then continued, "Please don't do anything that will make him think that we don't approve of his relationship."

"I am not going to do that." She scoffed. "I can't believe that you would think I would do something like that. If Jake makes him happy then I'm going to support him. I love my son. Sure I don't like the fact that he hid his relationship from us and lied about who Jake was to him so he could bring him to the wedding but who he's involved with has no bearing on my reaction."

"That's what I'm talking about Regina. You get emotional and start saying things that come out a lot harsher than you intend and he might take it the wrong way." She sighed. "Please wait until I get home."

Regina pursed her lips together and scowled at the computer monitor that was on her desk. She couldn't believe that Emma would think she would lose it on Henry. She had better control than that but she flicked her hand in the air and said, "Fine I will wait until you get home."

"Thank you. I'll be there soon."

Regina told her okay then she hung up the phone. She wasn't going to hide out in her office because she didn't want Henry to think she was hiding from him. Regina stood up from her chair then walked to the small table that she kept her cider liquor on and poured herself a glass before she walked out of her study. As she strode through the foyer she heard Jake say to Henry, "Honey sit down. You're making me dizzy."

"How can you be so calm about this? She's going to say you can't stay and that you need to go home. Which isn't fair. Just because she can't deal with the idea of me dating doesn't mean I have to suffer."

Regina was grateful for that fact that she was wearing her slippers and was able to stand in the foyer and eavesdrop on their conversation. A slight frown appeared on her face. She could hear how upset Henry was about the possibility of her saying that Jake had to go home. That upset her more than catching them making out in his room. Resigning to the fact that her son was in fact growing up and seemed to be in a serious relationship, Regina sighed then made her way into the living room.

Henry was pacing around the living room and Jake was perched on the edge of the couch with smile on his face but she could tell by his eyes that he was worried. Regina looked at her son and she could see the anger written all over his face. A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. Sometimes he was too much like Emma. Regina walked over to the side of couch and set her glass down on the side table. She walked over to where Henry was standing in front of the fireplace then hugged him. He didn't do anything for a moment but then he relaxed and hugged her back. Regina whispered to him, "I love you Henry and I'm happy for you."

Henry squeezed her tighter and said, "Thanks mom." He pulled back then asked, "And you aren't mad at me?"

Regina smiled at him. "I'm not mad about the relationship but I'm upset that you didn't tell us about Jake before you sprung him on us like this."

The front door opened and Emma came racing into the living room. She looked at Jake then Regina and Henry. "What did I say Regina?"

"I didn't do anything Emma," she looked at Henry and reached out to place her hand on his cheek. "I was just letting him know why I was upset." She looked back at Emma and narrowed her eyes at her. "And do not take that tone with me."

Emma had the sense to look regretful for snapping at her. She walked over to Regina and placed a kiss on her cheek then murmured, "I'm sorry. I remember how you sounded on the phone and seeing you in herd led me to believe something else."

"I told you I wasn't going to do anything." She looked at Henry and smiled. "But I heard the two of them talking and I realised that I needed to clarify my actions to Henry."

"Oh. Umm...okay then." Emma said not sure what to say. Regina saw her forehead crinkle then she narrowed her eyes at their son. "So why didn't you tell us about Jake?"

Henry looked down at the floor then over at Jake. Regina smiled when she saw that the other young man had an encouraging look his face. As much as she wanted to put him through the ringer she found herself liking him because he supported Henry and appeared to be in love with him. "Well I wasn't certain how to tell you. I mean mom, you told me that if I ever brought a girl home you would break out the Evil Queen and see how she would do with her. And Emma you said something about a shot gun." He chuckled a little, "None of that makes me want to tell you about the _guy_ I'm dating."

Regina nodded in understanding then moved to go sit down on the loveseat. After she was sitting on it she picked up her glass and said, "I know it doesn't and I won't break her out but I would like to know more about the young man I caught you making out with."

Henry blushed then we moved and sat on couch next to Jake. He took his hand and said, "We met in our literature class. Jake was struggling to understand Chaucer and I offered to help him out. We did homework a couple of times and we got to know each other then it all sort of happened."

Emma sat down on the loveseat next to Regina and wrapped her arm around her shoulder. Regina nestled her head on her shoulder and Emma wondered, "Does he know about..." she trailed off and waved her hand around, "you know?"

Jake laughed a little. "I do know about the town full of fairy tale characters and I have sworn my secrecy. At first I thought he was bullshitting me but he told me to Google maps Storybrooke and it didn't show up." He grinned. "I still sorta don't believe him. It'd be pretty cool to see a fireball."

"Jacob..."

Jake looked at Henry and exclaimed, "What? I just want to see it."

Regina chuckled a little and told him, "You don't want me to use a fireball because you won't like what I will do with it." She smirked when the young man's smile faltered a bit.

Emma kissed the top of Regina's head then murmured, "Stop it."

Regina lifted her head and kissed the underside of her jaw then rested her head back on her shoulder. "Well he asked." She looked at the two men who sat close together on the couch and she had to smile. Henry looked happy and he and Jake looked like they were in love. She was glad that Henry had fallen in love with someone who was not only polite and respectful but Jake was also a handsome young man. Henry did a good job in her mind. "Jake, I would love to hear more about you."

"Sure thing Ms. Mills. What would you like to know? I'm an open book." Jake said as she sat back on the couch.

Emma gave her shoulder a squeeze and said, "Go easy on him."

Regina glanced up at her then back at Jake and Henry. "I'm not going to do anything. I just want to know a little more about him." She smiled when she saw the worried look that came to both Henry and Jake's faces. Regina wasn't going to put the two of them through too much but she was going to have a little fun with them.

 **XxXxX**

Emma sat at one of the tables that was outside Granny's. The rehearsal dinner was in going well and everyone was having a good time. She and Regina had spent the rest of the afternoon with Henry and Jake and Emma was glad that her son had found someone to fall in love with. Jake had the same sharp wit as Henry but he was more sarcastic was able to give a retort that would put Regina to shame, but he was only that way with Henry. Towards her and Regina, he was polite and well-mannered. Emma sighed and took a sip from the beer she had been nursing. Tomorrow she was going to be a married woman. It was a surreal moment for her considering she thought she would be single for a long time but that wasn't the case. A small smile tugged at the corners of Emma's mouth as she let out a content sigh. She was happy. The door to Granny's opened and she looked over her shoulder to see her dad come walking out. He smiled at her. "What are you doing out here? Half the town is in there celebrating you and Regina's wedding."

Emma watched as he took a seat in the chair that was next to her. "I know they are. I'm just getting some fresh air." She smiled. "How cute are Henry and Jake?"

David laughed then remarked, "When I picked them up at the airport the two of them were arguing and eventually Jake won that one."

"Did he tell you right away?" Emma asked as she looked up at the sky.

"Yeah he did. Apparently he told Jake everything a few ago."

Emma nodded then brought her head down to look at her dad. "Yeah. Henry wanted to be truthful about everything and he was running out of excuses."

The two of them laughed then David said, "Yeah well when you come from a town full of fairy tale characters you've got to be creative about certain things." The two of them shared another laugh then he asked, "Nervous about tomorrow?"

Emma regarded her dad for a moment then she leaned forward to place her bottle on table. She rubbed her hands together then shrugged before she trapped her hands between her knees, smiling. "I'm not. I'm marrying my best friend, the mother of my son, and the woman I couldn't imagine tomorrow without." She looked down at the bricks that formed the patio for a minute then tears began to form in her eyes as she admitted, "I used to spend so much time thinking about having a forever home and a family when I was younger and I never really stopped thinking about it, not until I got to Storybrooke." She looked up at her dad. "Henry brought me here to break the curse and I did. I found out you and Mary Margret were my parents and suddenly I had family but something about it didn't feel like home." She sighed then sat back in her chair. Emma looked up at the stars that were in the sky and smiled. "But Regina has always felt like home. Even when we weren't on good terms but now I have a forever home and I can't wait to spend it with her."

The door to Granny's was yanked open and Emma rolled her head to see who was coming out. Regina walked out and when she looked at Emma she let out a breath of relief then asked, "Why are you out here?"

Emma smiled at her and held out her hand. "I needed some air."

Regina walked closer to her and took old of her hand then sat down on Emma's lap. "If you want to leave you can go. I know how after two hours of socialising you're ready to murder someone."

Regina scowled at Emma as she began to untuck her blouse from her pants. Emma just grinned at her. She wanted to feel Regina skin and she wasn't going to be stopped. Emma snaked her hand up the shirt and began to stroke Regina's back with a light touch and closed her eyes. This was all she need in life. The woman she loved, her son, and her family. "I wasn't going to murder anyone. I just needed air. I'm surprised you left Henry and Jake to their own devices."

Regina scoffed then told her, "I didn't leave them to their own devices. I told your mother to watch them."

Emma rolled her eyes behind her eyelids then opened them. An exasperated look on her face as she said, "Regina they are teenagers. They'll figure some way to escape your watchful eye."

Regina glared at her and stated, "They will think twice about that. I told them if I catch them tonight, Jake will see that fireball that he's been dying to see."

"Regina," Emma groaned out. "Leave them alone. When I go to my parents' house tonight you better not bother them."

Regina folded her arms across her chest. "I make no promises." She lost her authoritative pose and became the vulnerable woman who would cuddle with Emma on the couch when they watched scary movies. Regina sighed then asked, "Do you have to do this stupid tradition?"

Emma made small circles on the small of Regina's back with her fingertips. "It'll be less than twelve hours. Henry said he'll make sure that you are preoccupied."

"That sounds like I'm going to be sitting through a marathon of British comedies that I will probably fall asleep in the middle of," Regina said as she continued to pout. She wouldn't say that she was pouting but Emma knew she was pouting.

David chuckled then stated, "Could be a riveting night romantic comedies."

Regina rolled her eyes and Emma smiled but hid behind her as she pretended to cough. The door to the diner opened and Henry poked his head out. "Hey we're going to wrap this up. Granny wants to clean up since we have her getting up early for the reception."

Regina nodded and said, "Okay Henry." She stood up and tucked her shirt back into her pants. "I hope the old woman doesn't overdo herself. The food isn't all that important."

Emma scoffed then said, "To hell it isn't." Regina glared at her and she covered herself, "I mean it isn't as important as having Granny at the wedding but I would at least hope that she could get the steaks done."

Regina pressed her fingers to her forehead and muttered, "If I didn't love you…"

Emma kissed her cheek then grinned. "If you didn't love me then we wouldn't be getting married."

"And on that note I'm going to go in and help clean," David said as he got up from his chair.

Emma watched him go back into the diner along with Henry. She got up then gave Regina a quick kiss then grinned, "This time tomorrow we'll be married."

Regina smiled back and again Emma noticed the tightness of the smile. It had been becoming more apparent the closer they got to the wedding but she didn't want to push Regina to talk to her. She thought the woman would have told her what she was thinking but it never happened, and this time was no different. "Yes we will."

Emma sighed then asked, "You would tell me if you were having second thoughts right?"

Regina got a surprised look on her face for a brief moment then said, "I'm not having second thoughts. I just…" she sighed, "it's hard to explain."

Emma saw how conflicted Regina looked and she pressed a kiss to her forehead then said, "Okay." She took hold of her hand. "Let's go help them clean."

Regina would talk about it at some point but the earnest look her eye assured Emma that it wasn't about the wedding so she didn't know what it could be.

 **XxXxXx**

Henry woke up to the sound of the DVD menu playing on loop and he cuddled closer to Jake then nuzzled his neck. When he realised what he had done he moved away from him and sat up to make sure that his mom was asleep on her spot on the couch. They had spent the rest of the night playing video games and watching movies so that his mom wouldn't think about being away from Emma and he had fallen asleep in the middle of the third action film his mom had made them watch.

Henry didn't see his mom on the couch and his forehead crinkled as he began to wonder where she was. He looked over at Jake who was in a deep sleep and grinned. The man was a bit much sometimes but Henry still loved him.

Henry covered him with the blanket then kissed his forehead before he got off the air mattress they had set up on the living room floor. Henry didn't have to go far to find out where his mom was. The light glowing from under the door of her study gave away her hiding spot. He walked over to the door and gave it a quick tap before he opened it. When he entered the room he saw his mom curled up in the corner of the couch and she wiped at her eyes as she asked, "Henry what are you doing up?" She sat up and placed her feet on the floor. She slipped on her slippers and remarked, "Though with Jake's snoring I'm surprised you were able to sleep at all."

"I've sort of gotten used to it," he said, still feeling awkward about talking to his mom about his love life. Henry went over to the couch and sat down next to her. "What's the matter mom?" She forced a smile on her face and Henry gave her a pointed look and raised his eyebrow. "Don't try to pretend nothing is wrong." He smiled. "I've gotten pretty good at telling when you faking okay and when you're actually okay."

His mom reached out and brushed the hair out of his face. "I wish you would cut your hair or at least shorten it so that it's out of your face."

"Mom…."

She sighed then leaned back against the couch before she said, "I'm worried."

Henry took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "About?"

She stared down at their hands then said in a soft voice, "I'm happy. And other than you my track record with being happy is very questionable." She sighed then continued, "I just think that something is going to happen and I won't get to keep my happiness."

Henry sighed. His mom had gone through a lot in her life so he understood the insecurity she felt in the life that she now had but he knew it was unwarranted. Henry got up from the couch then bent down to take hold of his mom's hands. He gave them a gentle tug and said, "Stand up mom." She look up at him and he could tell that she was in no mood for whatever antics he was up to but he wasn't going to let her intimidate him. Henry had a point to make and he was going to make it whether she liked it or not. "Mom, please?"

She released an aggravated breath then stood up. Henry placed his hand on her shoulders. "Repeat after me, I am Regina Mills." She didn't say anything but she glared at him the same way she glared at Emma when she was doing something Charming like. "If you don't go along with this I will tell Emma all about this and she will not like it one bit."

"Oh don't you dare," his mom exclaimed. Henry raised his eyebrow and with his eyes he dared her to challenge him. Rolling her eyes in irritation she said, "Oh fine then. I am Regina Mills."

"I am a former Evil Queen…."

"I am a former Evil Queen…."

Henry smirked as he continued, "I am a bad ass mother fucker…."

"Henry…" He gave her a pointed look and she pointed a finger at him. "You may think you're an adult but I will ground you if you I have to."

Henry shook his head and gave her shoulders a quick squeeze, "Okay I understand it won't happen again but you still have to say it."

She took a deep breath then as she exhaled she said, "I am a bad ass mother fucker…."

"And I deserve happiness."

His mom smiled a little as she repeated, "And I deserve happiness."

Seeing that his mom didn't look so upset he smiled at her and told her, "You do deserve happiness mom and nothing will ruin it because you've had it ever since Emma came to Storybrooke." Her eyebrow went up as a sceptical look came to her face. Henry chuckled then remarked, "You can deny it all you want but underneath all that anger, resentment, and fear you've felt something g for. What that is I'm not going to say because I don't need therapy. I'm surprised I didn't need therapy after catching you two-"

"Henry, the point," his mom demanded as he began to go off on tangent.

He laughed a little. "Sorry mom. What I'm trying to say is you've had happiness for a long time. You don't have to worry."

He watched as she chewed on her bottom lip and thought about what he said. She looked into his eyes and asked, "What makes you so sure?"

He grinned then remarked, "Emma doesn't go down without a fight and she'll fight damn hard to make sure that you are happy."

A wide smile took up his mom's face and her voice was thick with emotion when she said, "She will won't she?"

Henry wrapped his arms around his mom and gave her a tight hug. "Yeah she will." He kissed the side of her head then whispered, "And so will I. I love you mom."

"I love you too Henry," came her tearful reply.

They stood there for a moment then she gave his back a quick pat and said, "Okay I have to get to bed since tomorrow is a big day and all."

Henry nodded and quipped, "It is. I've got a best man speech to deliver and a dance with my mom that will knock everyone's socks off." He grinned. "I've been practicing with Jake."

His mom regarded him for a moment then narrowed her eyes at him. "It better be appropriate."

"It will be." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and guided her out of the study. Henry turned off the light then led her to the stairs, "Now go to bed mom."

She kissed his cheek then said, "Yes dear. Sleep well."

He smiled as he watched her go up the stairs, "You too mom."

When she had reached the second floor Henry walked back into the living room. He turned off the TV and DVD player then lay back down on the air mattress. Jake cuddled up to him and mumbled, "She okay?"

Henry held onto his waist and said, "Yeah."

"Is there going to be a wedding tomorrow?"

Henry kissed Jake's forehead then smiled against it as he murmured, "Most definitely."

Jake tightened the hold that he had on Henry. "Good. Now go to sleep because wedding are so exhausting."

"But you're up….I'm up…." Jake lifted his head off of Henry's chest and even though the room was pitch black, Henry knew that he was looking at him. "What?"

"Your mother has threatened my balls with her balls of fire. Nuh-uh," Jake said in a forced whisper.

"But Jakey," Henry whined a little. Then he kissed the side of his neck and murmured, "This is the only time we will be alone and I would really like to take advantage of it."

Jake let out a sigh then said, "I need to work on my resolve. Just kissing. Nothing else. I would like to keep my balls."

Henry grinned then he found Jakes lips. He gave him a fast kiss then remarked, "You won't be able to resist me. I'm the grandson of Prince Charming and Snow White. It's in my blood to be dashing and charming."

Jake pushed him back then muttered, "And full of yourself."

Henry lifted his head and captured Jake's lips, putting an end to their conversation. He had managed to put his mom's mind at ease and now he was going to spend some time making out with his boyfriend before they all got swept up in the excitement of his moms' wedding. Tomorrow was going to be an awesome day.


	6. Wedding Day

Emma tightly squeezed her eyes shut as she began to wake up. She didn't get much sleep last night and when she had managed to fall asleep, a little after three, it wasn't a restful one. Even before she had tried to go to bed she had taken a walk around town in order to calm her mind. Not only had she been too excited to sleep, but she had also been worried about Regina. The hesitation that she had seen on her face the last few days made Emma believe that she was going to have a runaway bride situation on her hands. Emma exhaled through her nose and tried not to focus on the upsetting thoughts. Regina had told her that she wasn't having second thoughts about the wedding and Emma was going to believe her until she saw otherwise.

Emma groaned when she heard little feet running down the hall and coming towards the guest room. She opened one of her eyes and picked up her cell phone off of the nightstand. It was seven in the morning. The wedding wasn't until one and she didn't have to start getting ready until twelve, so it was too early for her brother and sister to come bothering her. The door to her room opened and Emma pretended to be asleep as her little brother and sister tried to creep into the guest room. James shushed Kayleigh then told her in a quiet voice, "We have to be quiet so we can scare her."

"Mommy said we were supposed to let Emma sleep. It's her big day," Kayleigh told him as they got closer to the bed.

James whispered to her, "But it's not everyday she sleeps over."

Emma sat up and scared them then she asked, "What are you two doing?"

Kayleigh giggled as she climbed on the bed. "James wanted to wake you up and see if you wanted to have breakfast with us. We're having lucky charms."

Emma raised an eyebrow and asked, "Where's mom and dad?"

"Sleep," James said as he jumped on the bed and fell to his knees.

Emma nodded. She realised that her parents were now leaving her little brother and sister up to their own devices in the morning. They were old enough to fend for themselves for a little while in the morning. She had done it when she was younger. Emma reached out to tickle them both and said, "All right squirts lets go have breakfast."

The two of them jumped off the bed then Emma got out of it and followed them down the stairs. The three of them were in the kitchen getting breakfast when the doorbell rang. Kayleigh's eyebrows scrunched together and as she asked, "Who's that?"

Emma closed the milk and told her, "I will go find out. You guys eat." She walked out of the kitchen then walked down the hall to get to the front door. She opened the front door and was surprised to see Jake standing on the porch. "Jake what are you doing here?"

Jake had a huge smile on his face. "Emma-Watch."

"Emma-Watch?" She repeated not understanding the phrase. Emma didn't need to be watched. Regina was the one that needed watching.

Jake nodded and explained, "Yeah. Henry said that you might get freaked out so I'm here to talk you down if you do. This is my contribution since you and Ms. Mills invited me to the wedding."

Emma slowly nodded in understanding then she wondered, "And Henry doesn't think my mom will be able to handle my freak outs?"

Jake grimaced as an uncomfortable look came across his face. He muttered, "Yeah. Something about her being overbearing and you snapping on her." Emma narrowed her eyes at him and he smiled. "But you won't snap on someone that you barely know. Someone who also happens to be your son's amazing boyfriend and thinks that you're the most awesome person in the world." Emma continued to look at Jake with a sceptical look and he added, "Did fail to mention that I'm dating your son and that I love him a lot?"

Emma regarded the young man who now had an uncertain look on his face. She moved to let Jake in and told him, "Henry's probably right. You've met my mother." She frowned and whispered to him, "She can be a bit much."

As if she had heard her name being said up on the second floor Mary Margret called down, "Emma who's at the door?"

"It's Jake mom. Henry sent him over to watch me." Emma replied as she gestured for Jake to follow her back to the kitchen.

Mary Margret came downstairs and said, "To watch you? Why would you need watching?" She smiled at Jake. "Hi Jake."

"Good morning Mrs. Nolan," Jake said with a polite smile on his face.

Emma rolled her eyes. Her mother ate up Jake's politeness towards her. Since everyone in the town called her Mary Margret or Snow it was a change of pace for someone to call her Mrs. Nolan and she was giddy every time Jake called her that. "Jake I told you Mary Margret is fine or Snow. I don't hear you calling Emma, Ms. Swan."

"He's not allowed to do that," Emma stated as quick as possible. There was only one person who was allowed to call her Ms. Swan and it most definitely wasn't her son's boyfriend. "Jake did you have breakfast?" He nodded and she chuckled. "Of course you did. Regina has taken a shine to you and that's a rare thing."

Jake sat down at the kitchen table with Kayleigh and James as he said, "Well that's a good thing. I have to admit I was a little worried that she wouldn't like me especially since I am-"

"Ah, ah, ah," Emma said as she held up her hand. "I don't know where that sentence was headed but don't say it. Also Regina's like of you probably only extends so far so I wouldn't test that."

Jake chuckled. "I have no plan to do so." Emma walked over and placed a bowl of lucky charms in front of her little brother and Jake wondered, "So it's the big day…nervous?"

Emma set Kayleigh's bowl in front of her then she blew out a breath. She wasn't nervous about the wedding. She was nervous about all the time between now and when she and Regina were standing at the end of the aisle. Emma had a nagging feeling that something about this day was going to go wrong but she had no idea what it was. "No I'm not nervous. I just can't want to be married to the woman that I love."

Jake continued to smile at her but the moment was short-lived when James began to pretend like he throwing up. Emma scowled at her younger brother and asked, "Is there a problem?"

James shook his head and Kayleigh snickered at him. Snow scolded them both. "James, Kayleigh that wasn't nice. Apologise to Emma then eat your cereal. We've got a lot to do today." She looked at Emma who was standing by the counter and stuffing her mouth full of lucky charms. Mary Margret blew out an aggravated breath. "I have the dwarves and Marco setting up the tents with a few others in town. After I get Kayleigh and James ready we're going to help Granny with getting things ready for the reception then it'll be time for you to get ready."

Emma held her spoon in midair as the reality of what was happening hit her. She was going to get married today. She was going to be someone's wife. She dropped her spoon back into her bowl then stated, "Holy crap I'm getting married."

Mary Margret chuckled and remarked, "You've known this for the last six months Emma."

Emma scowled at her mother then explained why she had said that. "I know that but now that it's the day and the fact that it's actually happening is a bit surreal so I'm having a moment."

"Uh-oh. Do I need to do anything? Tackle you to the ground to make sure you don't runaway or anything?" Jake asked with an uncertain look on his face. Emma knew that he didn't want to do it but then again she wasn't sure what Henry had told him to do if she was showing symptoms of getting cold feet.

Emma chuckled then reassured him. "Calm down Jake. I'm just saying it's surreal for me. I don't have any urge to pull a missing bride bit."

Jake relaxed a little then mumbled, "Thank goodness." He chuckled. "Henry is damned determined to see his moms get married and if it doesn't happen I think he'll actually go into therapy. Still surprised he didn't after what happened-"

"I think that's enough Jake," Emma said, cutting him off from mentioning Henry walking in on her and Regina. She was surprised that she hadn't needed therapy afterwards either. Emma finished off her cereal then announced, "Okay let's all finish breakfast then we can run down to the park to see how the wedding setup is coming along."

Mary Margret shot her a look and said, "Emma…"

"I don't have anything else to do," Emma countered. "I can't sit here and not do anything. I'll get bored out of my mind and next thing you know I'm breaking some stupid tradition about seeing the bride before the wedding."

Mary Margret blew out an aggravated breath and muttered something under her breath. What it was Emma wasn't sure of because she had said it low enough so that she wouldn't hear. She sighed then said, "Fine. We'll go see how the setup is going but you are not allowed to lift a finger do you understand young lady?"

Kayleigh snickered then said, "Emma's in trouble."

Emma stuck her tongue out at her little sister then she looked at her mom. "I will not lift a single finger."

"If she does I will tell Henry and he will give her that face that he gets when I do something he doesn't like," Jake added in with a slight grimace on his face.

Emma groaned and said, "Oh that's the Mills face of disapproval. You get used to it."

Jake frowned and commented, "I don't think I want to get used to it. He gives me the silent treatment which is no fun."

Emma chuckled because Regina did the same thing before she eventually chewed her out. She shrugged then finished her milk and once she was done she placed the bowl into the sink. Then she turned to look at James and Kayleigh. "Come on squirts finish up so we can get dressed and go help with the wedding." She looked at Mary Margret, "I'm going to go take a shower so I won't have to take one later." Her mom nodded at her then she headed out of the kitchen. Emma couldn't help to do a little skip as she headed for the stairs. She was getting married today then she and Regina would be off to a warm island for a week.

* * *

Regina wasn't sure what she was going to do with herself. It was only nine in the morning and the wedding was at one. After she, Jake, and Henry had eaten breakfast Henry had sent Jake to his grandparents house to watch Emma while he made sure that she didn't run. Regina scoffed at the idea of her running from her own wedding. She wasn't going to run. She was just waiting for something bad to happen. Henry walked into the living room wearing jeans, boots, and a short sleeved flannel shirt. Her eyebrow went up as she wondered, "Where are you going?"

He beamed a smile at her. "We're going horseback riding."

"Horseback riding?" She repeated sounding sceptical about the activity. "You do know that I have a wedding to get ready for don't you?"

Henry nodded and the smile remained on his face as he said, "I know you do but I have two reasons why that won't get you out of this."

"And what are they?"

He held up his index finger. "One, we'll be only gone for an hour, maybe two." He put up his second finger. "And two you're just going to use magic to get ready anyway."

Regina eyed her son for a moment then remarked, "Don't be a smartass." She got up from the couch. "And I won't be using magic to get ready for the wedding but I will take you up on your offer to go riding." It would offer her a better distraction than her current one which was sitting around and thinking about what could ruin her wedding.

She walked over to Henry and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "It'll be fun. Riding will take your mind off of whatever is going on in your head and time will fly by."

Regina wrapped her arm around Henry's waist then gave him a quick squeeze. "You're a good son."

Henry chuckled then said, "You remember that when I ask you for an extra hundred bucks when I go back to school."

Regina rolled her eyes and remarked, "And you're back to being your mother's child."

Henry laughed and she smiled. Spending the morning with Henry doing her favourite activity wasn't a bad idea. It would let her forget about the feeling of dread that was following her around and she would be able to think about the wedding that would be happening in a few hours. She moved away from Henry and told him, "I'm going to change."

Henry nodded and pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Okay mom. I'm going to call Jake to see how ma is doing."

Regina chuckled as she went up the stairs. Henry had designated himself as the official coordinator for the wedding so that way she and Emma wouldn't have to worry about a thing. Henry was persistent to see them get married. Regina on the other hand just wanted the wedding out of the way. Because if the actual ceremony was done then the nagging feeling that something was going to go wrong would, she hoped, go away.

Regina went into her and Emma's room and changed into her riding pants and a black sleeveless button up top then she put on her brown riding boots. She put her hair up in a ponytail then left out of the room. As she made her way over to the stairs she could overhear Henry talking on his phone in the foyer. "So the tents are up and ready to go?" He chuckled then asked, "And my mom's tent is setup how I wanted it to be?" Henry scoffed. "My mom is a former queen do you really think putting a chaise lounge in there is too much?"

Regina smirked and as she went down the stairs she said, "I think it's too much. Even as a former queen."

Henry looked at her. "Well I've already requested it."

Regina chuckled and shook her head. "You're being a bit of a bridzilla."

Henry gawked at her as he said, "I am not."

Regina walked over to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. "You are. I know you want this to be the perfect wedding for Emma and me but it doesn't have to be perfect. We have you, your aunt and uncle, and your grandparents. It's already the perfect wedding."

Henry smiled at her. "I know mom but this is you getting your happy ever after and I want it to be over the top."

Regina laughed. She couldn't argue with that so she sighed. "Fine then make the wedding over the top but don't go crazy or you will have Emma running for the hills."

She and Henry started for the door as he chuckled. "Oh, don't worry Emma has the best tent in the world. It's stock with video games and snacks so she should be good."

Regina laughed because Henry was right because the video games would keep her preoccupied and the snacks would help alleviate her stress. A slight frown appeared on Regina's face. Maybe that wasn't a good idea. Emma had a tendency to fall asleep after gorging on food. "Henry, make sure Jake doesn't let her fall asleep," she said as they walked out the front door. As she locked the door she added, "I refuse to have my wedding delayed because your mother stuffed her face full of ho-hos and put herself in a food coma."

She glanced at Henry out the corner of her eye and saw that he was trying stifle a laugh and was failing at doing so. He took a breath then said, "Okay mom. I will text Jake right now." Regina smiled and she was starting to think that maybe, just maybe, this day would be fine and that she and Emma would be able to get married without a problem.

* * *

Henry had managed to get his mom to relax the rest of the morning. Now they were an hour from the wedding when he got the text. _Emma is missing._ Of his two mothers Emma was the one that he didn't have to worry about. She seemed eager to have the wedding and was a hundred percent certain about walking down the aisle. Not to say his mom wasn't eager or not ready to walk down the aisle but she had her apprehensions which she had voiced to him last night. Emma hadn't given any indication that she was going to be a runner.

Henry was muttering under his breath as walked down the red carpet that served as the aisle so he could get to the other tent that was set up behind the trellis that was covered in vines and flowers. The wedding was being held in the park and the reception was also being held in the park but under a large tent. He walked into the tent and asked, "What happened?" Jake and his grandparents started talking at once and Henry scowled. "Okay, stop." He pointed at his grandma. "Grandma what happened?"

Mary Margret sighed then said, "Emma said she had forgotten something at the house and told me that she was going back there to go get it. That was an hour ago."

"An hour ago?" Henry repeated. He looked at Jake. "Why didn't you tell me when she wasn't gone after like a half hour? She could be anywhere by now."

An uneasy look came to Jake's face as he said, "I don't know. I mean I have only just met her so I didn't know what to expect. I mean she is getting married today Henry, so I thought she would want some space."

Henry ran his hand through his hair and sighed. He let it drop. "Okay fine. I'm sorry Jake. We have to go find her before my mom finds out. It's bad enough that she thinks something is going to happen and is going to ruin this day for her and Emma." His brow furrowed then he got a determined look on his face. "Okay we have an hour before the wedding so this means we have a half hour to find Emma before we have to tell my mom that she's missing. Okay?"

Everyone in the tent nodded in agreement and Henry sighed. "Okay. Let's go find Emma and I'll go-"

"Henry are you in there?" His mom said from outside the tent.

"Shit." Then he whispered, "Go find Emma."

His grandparents left out the back exit of the tent and Henry walked out the front of it. When he emerged Henry saw that his mom was still wearing the simple blouse and dress slacks and he grinned. "And here I thought you were running around in your robe with your hair half done."

His mom glared at him and folded her arms across her chest as she asked, "What's going on with Emma? You ran out of my tent after you looked at your phone so I can only assume it has something to do with her." She scowled. "Did she stuff her face full of ho-hos and pass out?"

Henry grimaced. He didn't want to lie to his mom especially on her wedding day. Henry bit his bottom lip then said, "We...uhh..." He looked down at the ground and mumbled, "We can't find Emma."

He heard his mom let out a sigh then she said, "You should have told me." She chuckled a little then he felt her place a kiss on his cheek. "Don't worry dear, Emma and I will still get married today. I just need to talk to her."

"Talk to her? You can't talk to her. You're not supposed to see here before the wedding." Henry pointed out, incredulous that his mom would dare suggest something like that.

She chuckled then told him, "I think she's not supposed to see me in my dress before the wedding but in any instance I would still talk to her." His mom winked at him then said, "Go eat something that's high in sugar and highly processed. I'll be back in a moment with your mother then the two of us can get married."

She gave him another kiss on the cheek then a cloud of purple smoke enveloped her and when it dissipated she was gone. Henry scowled for a moment at his mom's disregard for tradition but then he realised that she, nor Emma, were ones to follow such things. They were only doing it to humour their family. He walked back into the tent and said to Jake, "She's going to go look for Emma."

Jake nodded. "Sounds like a good idea."

Henry rolled his eyes and sighed. "I'm sure it is. I really didn't expect Emma to do this. She was so excited to propose and when we talked about the wedding she was ready for it."

Jake walked over to him and smiled. "Well I'm sure your mom can handle whatever is going on with her. If anyone can get Emma back it's her."

Henry nodded then said, "Well we've got awhile. Wanna play Grand Theft Auto?"

Jake chuckled a little as he took hold of Henry's hand. "You know this is probably the only chance we'll get to be alone today so-"

Henry caught onto his train of thought and he cut him off by kissing him. He had faith that his mom was going to fix whatever was going on with Emma and there would be a wedding. He had to believe it. There was no way he could believe anything else.

* * *

Emma was down on the beach and watching the water. She had no idea what had happened. She had been in the tent that she was using to get ready, eating Doritos and kicking Jake's ass in Fallout, when a panic started to come over her. All she had done was check the time and think about how she was going to be married in two hours. That one simple thought had turned into a downward spiral of doubt and her second-guessing herself. Emma didn't know if she was cut out to be Regina's wife. Sure they had been unconsciously been in a relationship for several years now and dating for the last year but now there relationship was going to be concrete and she didn't want mess up what they already had. Regina had been through so much already and she could bear to be the reason why the woman ended up unhappy. Emma released a heavy sigh.

"Emma….."

She glanced over her shoulder and saw that Regina was standing behind her. She looked back out at the ocean. "This is bad luck you know."

Regina walked closer to her and said, "I think it's bad luck for you to see me in my dress before the wedding." Emma continued to stare at the endless water that was in front of her and when Regina bumped her shoulder with hers she glanced at her out the corner of her eye. "What's the matter?"

Emma shook her head and said, "It's nothing. Stupid really."

"Apparently it's not that stupid if it has you running away from our wedding," Regina pointed out.

Emma turned her head so that she could look at her. "I'm not running away from our wedding. I just-I needed a moment."

Regina regarded her for a moment then she turned to focus on the water. "If you need a moment then have your moment." Emma looked down at the sand and began to play with it. Regina wasn't going to push her to talk about something if she wasn't ready to talk about it and she loved her for that because sometimes she didn't want to talk about it.

"I needed a moment last night." Regina let out a small chuckle. "I've been waiting for the other shoe to drop. The one that would inevitably destroy me getting my happy ending, yet again, but Henry helped me work through it. I'm still waiting for it but here we are, an hour away from our wedding, and though that's still a lot of time for something to happen, I think it's not going to. I think I'm going to get my happy ending."

Emma scoffed then remarked, "How can you think that when I'm sitting her getting cold feet?"

Regina laughed and the sound of it lifted Emma's spirits a little. "Because I love you Emma. So what if we don't get married? It doesn't mean it'll be the end of us, or our relationship., it just means we're not the marrying type." She laughed again. "However we may have a hard time convincing our son otherwise. He is such a bridezilla."

Emma chuckled. "He really is. I was helping set up a few chairs and he yelled at me for helping then he went on a tangent about the flowers on the trellis." She smiled at Regina. "God help us if he ever gets married."

Regina rolled her eyes then moved a piece of her hair behind her ear as she said, "That's if I let him get married."

"You seem to like Jake well enough," Emma pointed out with a grin on her face.

Regina narrowed her eyes at her. "Jake is a nice young man and seems to be well suited for Henry but I don't know if I would want our son to marry him." She scoffed. "And Henry only turned nineteen, we have awhile before he gets married. I want him to at least finish college."

Emma laughed and after she caught her breath she looked at Regina for a moment then leaned over to give her a kiss. It lingered for a moment then she pulled back and smiled at her. "I love you."

Regina placed her hand on Emma's cheek and returned the sentiment. "I love you too."

Emma took hold of her hand and asked, "Am I enough for you? Do you think I'll be a good wife for you?"

Regina sighed then she captured Emma's lips for an emotion filled kiss. Emma placed her hand on the back of Regina's neck as the kiss deepened and. Through it she felt the love that Regina was conveying to her. She never wanted it to stop, but it did when Regina pulled away from her. The earnest look that was in Regina's eyes made Emma's breath hitch and she bit her bottom lip to keep it from trembling.

No one had ever loved her as much as Regina loved her and it was in this moment that she knew, without a single shred of doubt, that the woman would always love her with her whole heart. "You will always be enough for me Emma Swan. Even when we're arguing with each other and you're pissing me off," Emma chuckled, "you will always be enough. You are a part of me and that's a part of myself that I'm going to hold on tight to and cherish forever."

Emma had to blink a few times to get rid of the tears that were blurring her vision then she took a breath before she whispered, "Okay."

Regina smiled then pressed a kiss to her forehead. Emma let her eyes close at the contact. She loved this woman so much and she would always love her. Regina pulled back and Emma opened her eyes. The other woman smiled at her. "So are we still having a wedding today?"

Emma nodded as she chuckled. Then she said, "I suppose we have to or Henry would stop talking to us both."

Regina laughed then remarked, "No he wouldn't. He'd still want money. We should talk to him about getting a job."

Emma rolled her eyes then she leaned forward to place a kiss on Regina's lips. She kept them there for a moment then pulled back, grinning. "Come on Madam Mayor. We have a wedding to get to so we can make this thing official."

Regina smiled. "I can't wait."

The two of them stood and Emma wrapped her arms around Regina's waist then pulled the woman close to her. As she looked into her eyes she smiled. Emma couldn't wait either. As she moved to kiss Regina a cloud of purple smoke enveloped them to transport them to the park where they would begin the journey of being together forever.

* * *

The wedding had been beautiful and Regina may have let a few tears fall during the ceremony which had been officiated by Archie. She was certain that she hadn't heard Emma's vows because all she could focus on was how beautiful the woman was. Lucky for her the ceremony had been filmed and she could relive the whole event later.

Emma was breathtaking in the dress that she was wearing. Regina had been worried about what Emma was going to wear because the woman had been tight lipped about it. For a brief moment Regina almost believed that she was going to wear a tank top and jeans but that hadn't been the case and when she and Henry walked to the head of the aisle she stopped breathing when she saw Emma in her dress. It was a strapless dress that had white on the sides and the middle was black with some intricate embroidery on it. She had her hair done up and there were blonde tendrils that framed her face. It was an image that would be burned into Regina's mind forever. Emma was now talking with Ruby and laughing and she looked so happy that it took Regina's breath away for the millionth time that day.

"Have you eaten yet?" Mary Margret asked as she sat down next to her.

Regina looked at her and smiled. "I will eat here in a moment." She looked back over to where Emma was. "She's beautiful."

Mary Margret hummed then said, "She is and so are you. It's nice to see you happy Regina. You've been happy for some time now but you're absolutely glowing with joy right now."

Regina chuckled then remarked, "Give it an hour. I'm certain Emma will do something that will upset me." She looked at Mary Margret. "Who would have thought you and I would be here?"

Mary Margret laughed a little then said, "I know. It seems like a miracle but here we are." She took hold of Regina's hand and gave it squeeze. "Eat Regina we can't have you passing out on your wedding day."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Fine I will eat." She got up and walked over to where the buffet was setup. As she made her plate, Regina was impressed with various and diverse group of foods that Emma and Granny had come up with. There was pasta, salad, several different types of meats, and desserts. Regina spotted the hot wings and instead of scowling at them she chuckled. Emma had found some way to get hot wings into their wedding.

Regina was getting some baked ziti when she felt an arm wrap around her waist. She glanced to her left and smiled. Emma kissed her cheek then whispered, "Mrs. Swan-Mills why don't you and I get out of here to really celebrate our wedding." Regina chuckled then took a cucumber off of her plate and bit into it. Emma ran her fingertips down her exposed back and goosebumps formed on her arms as a chill went down her spine. "Have I mentioned how much I love you in this dress?"

Regina smirked and replied, "You may have mentioned it once or twice."

Emma chuckled and said, "Do we have to stay for the rest of this? I mean we can go back to the house have some fun then we can jump on a plane to Hawaii to continue that fun on a private beach."

Regina laughed and she turned to face Emma. She held up her plate and said, "I told your mother I would eat and Henry has worked on his speech for a long time so we can't miss that. Also we haven't had our first dance yet and I still owe Henry a dance. Oh we also have to cut the cake."

Emma groaned. "Why is there so much bull crap to this wedding thing?" Regina laughed and Emma scowled. "It's not funny."

Regina pointed at the hot wings and said, "Eat, drink, and have some fun then you'll get what you want later."

Emma muttered something under her breath and Regina tried not to laugh. The two of them got something to eat then went over to the table to eat. They were almost done eating when they saw Henry walk to the middle of the dance floor with a microphone in his hand.

He brought it up to his mouth and said, "I'm not certain when a speech is made but it looked like a good time to have one. Emma has food in front of her and my mom has had a couple glasses of wine so they can't react right away." There was some laughter and Regina got a playful scowl on her face while Emma laughed. Henry chuckled then continued. "I'm only kidding mom. So it's like any normal story right? The saviour comes into town pisses the evil queen off and the two of them fight like cats and dogs for the longest fu-"

"Henry Daniel Mills," Regina said from her spot at her and Emma's table.

He grinned. "Sorry mom and it's Swan-Mills."

Emma leaned over and asked, "Did he really change his last name?"

Regina nodded. "He did it the same time I put in the paperwork for ours."

Emma chuckled then sat back in her seat as Henry finished his speech. "Anyway they fought for a really long time then Neverland happened." Regina reached for Emma's hand and the other woman gave it a squeeze. "And by Neverland happened I mean I was kidnapped and the two of them worked super hard to save me. So they saved me but not only do they do that but they fall in love."

Henry chuckled then added, "But they didn't admit to it for a really long time. Heck I didn't even notice it. My moms were getting along and that's all that mattered to me. But then we became this little family unit without realising it and those two crazy kids kept falling even more in love with each other even as they dated other people. Then the inevitable happened. A young boy walks into his house after his first semester of college excited to have a dinner with his moms. He goes upstairs to tell her that he's home and as soon-"

"Henry Daniel Swan-Mills!" Emma shouted as she stood from her chair.

Henry's face turned red and he ended his speech. "On that note congrats to my moms, I love you both."

As Emma sat down she muttered, "I'm going to kill that kid."

Regina chuckled then leaned over to give Emma a kiss on the cheek. As she moved back she whispered, "He gets that from you." Emma rolled her eyes and Regina laughed. It was the happiest day of her life and there was nothing that was going to ruin it.

 **xXxXxX**

Emma was dancing with her dad and he chuckled, "You know I'm kind of glad for this whole weird curse thing because doing this when I'm like what, sixty, wouldn't have been fun."

Emma laughed then told him, "This weird curse thing has given us a lot of weird situations in our family but I'm glad we both can enjoy this."

The two of them laughed then he said, "That kid of yours is a trip huh?"

Emma glared at her dad and remarked, "Henry is close to ending up on a list of people that annoy the piss out of me." Her dad chuckled. "I'm serious. I'm worried about leaving him by himself while we're in Hawaii."

David laughed. "Don't worry about it. Your mother and I will make sure he doesn't do anything that will get him arrested." He paused for a moment then said, "The weirdest thing about all this is that you're married to the woman that tried to kill your mother on numerous occasions."

Emma laughed. She didn't mean to but since everyone had moved on from that problematic past she thought it was okay. "Don't think about it dad because it'll hurt your head."

David smiled. "I'm not going to think about it too much but I just wanted to say that it's nice to see Regina at this point."

Emma turned so that she could look at the woman that was the topic of their current discussion. Regina was dancing with Henry and the woman looked radiant. Regina had had a smile on her face all day long and Emma was certain that her face was hurting because of it. The simple navy dress she wore looked amazing on her and when Emma had seen her at the start of the ceremony her heart had done back to back somersaults. She looked at her dad. "It is nice to see her happy."

A couple minutes later the song that they were dancing to came to an end and Emma heard Regina ask, "May I cut in?"

David moved away from Emma. "By all means." He gave Emma's temple a quick peck then whispered, "Congratulations, Em."

She smiled at him. "Thanks dad." Regina took his place and as the two of them started to dance she asked, "Did Henry apologise for his speech?"

Regina chuckled then said, "He didn't because he wasn't going to actually mention it. I told him that Jake can stay a couple more days and the two of them aren't to do anything that would make me regret my decision to allow his boyfriend to stay."

"Well that was nice of you." A silence fell between them and Regina rested her head on Emma's shoulder. Emma kissed the side of her head then murmured, "We did it."

Regina sat up and smiled at her. "Did you doubt that we would?" Emma raised an eyebrow and Regina chuckled. "Okay so we both had our moments but I think we would have gotten here no matter what."

Emma smiled. "We would have." Regina rested her head back on her shoulder as the two of them continued to dance.

A few minutes had gone by when Regina lifted her head. Emma saw the mischievous glint in her eye and she began to wonder what the other woman was up to. "Do you think we can sneak out of here?"

A huge grin came to Emma's face. "I think we can. I'll make my way out and tell everyone I need some air and then you can come check on me."

"That sounds like an excellent plan," Regina said with a small smirk.

Emma leaned in to give Regina a kiss then made her way out of the tent. She wondered what they were going to do when they got home. As the list of possibilities grew in her mind, the fewer clothes she and Regina wore. Emma hoped they would be able to make it to their honeymoon.

* * *

Henry had no idea where his moms were. One minute they had been there and the next minute they were gone. His grandma had told him that Emma had gone out to get some air which was no huge surprise to Henry, she didn't do well with huge gatherings, but his mom wouldn't have just left. She cared too much about appearances, or she would have at least told him that they were leaving. The frown on her Henry's face worsened.

"They skipped out," Jake said behind him.

"Skipped out?" Henry asked as he turned around.

Jake nodded as he took a bite of the cake that was on his plate. He chewed it up then said, "Yep. Ruby saw them leave and she didn't want to call them out because it's their wedding day." Henry sighed. He thought they would at least say goodbye to him before they left. Jake moved closer to him then held up a forkful of cake and Henry continued to pout. "Eat the cake, Henry. It'll make you feel better. Also don't look so sad. They should be able to spend some time alone and if they left for their honeymoon then that's okay too. They'll be back in a few days."

Henry glowered at him but then he ate the cake off the fork. Jake grinned at him then gave his cheek a kiss before he whispered, "You're adorable. Come on, let's go help your grandparents with shutting this thing down. Then you, Mr. Swan-Mills, will be taking me for a walk on the beach."

Henry couldn't help the stupid grin that came to his face. That idea had him forgiving his moms for leaving without saying goodbye, but even then he was happy they were happy. When he was younger all he wanted was for them to get along, but this was even better. Henry took hold of Jake's hand and asked, "So wanna bet on when I'll get a younger brother or sister?"

Jake chuckled then replied, "No, because I'm certain it won't be long before you have one." He shook his head. "Your family is so weird but I like it."

Henry smiled at him and said, "It is but I wouldn't have it any other way." He gave Jake's cheek a quick kiss then the two of them made their way back into the tent so that they could help with clean up and winding down the reception. It had been a good day for the family and Henry determined that it would only get better from here on out.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading and just and FYI all my SwanQueen fics will be posted on AO3 from here on out. It's a headache updating both lol.**


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